Before he became a first-round draft pick for the New York Giants, Jaxson Dart was just another kid in Kaysville, Utah, wearing a No. 3 Seahawks jersey on Super Bowl Sunday. That day, February 2, 2014, Russell Wilson led Seattle to a 43–8 rout of the Denver Broncos, and for the then-11-year-old Dart, the performance left a lasting impression. Over a decade later, that same jersey-wearing fan is sharing a quarterback room with his childhood hero. “It was kind of surreal,” Dart told reporters after being drafted. “I was wearing his jersey during the Super Bowl. And now I’m on a team with him. It’s pretty wild.”

Cut to now, Dart pulled off a move that has reporters like Dan Duggan go, “Never had a player do that in my entire career.” He came into the room, and the very first thing he did was address the media personalities present. He said, “Hey first thing, before you guys ask a question, could you just introduce yourself for me just to – put a face to name and all that? Appreciate y’all.” This is only day 1, and he’s already familiarizing himself with the names that will help him rise to fame soon. That’s peak QB energy, that’s a masterclass of a move. And that’s not even half of what he’s got going on for himself.

Looking at Jaxson Dart’s impressive minicamp debut, the reporters are swept away, too. NorthJersey’s Art Stapleton writes, “He’s not here to wear Russell Wilson‘s jersey as he once did as a kid in Utah, cheering him on from the sideline, or to create content by cracking jokes with Jameis Winston for the Giants’ social media team.” Dart’s first two passes dropped, but his spirits didn’t drop with them. He doubled down, throwing solid eight passes next.

He is someone who can add more Lombardi trophies to the Giants’ display. They’ve already got 4 of them, and by the time Dart takes the wheel, they might even snag a couple more. And that’s the energy that’s coming off the Giants’ minicamp. Jaxson Dart isn’t here to waste any time. He’s here to prove he belongs with the best. Dart’s mission is to be QB1, and that’s evident from his drive. For now, Dart will be throwing to some of the camp tryouts and undrafted rookie signings. He’ll be joining the big boys with the full draft class on Monday for the next phase of the offseason training program. But this guy’s already going the extra mile.

Even while returning from the camp on the bus, he’s sitting with the rookies and breaking down the gameplays. Remember that peak QB energy we talked about? This is it right here. Jaxson Dart said, “I think as the quarterback, you got to make sure that everybody knows what they’re doing. So, I tried to get as many guys as I could together on the offensive side of the ball and go through it and teach everybody, making sure that we’re all on the same page.” HC Brian Daboll and the rest of the front office were already impressed with Dart long before the draft rolled around. He blew them away during his pre-draft meetings with his presence of mind and understanding of the game. But there are a few things that will need to be polished as he gears up for the big leagues.

Brian Daboll’s vision for Jaxson Dart’s growth

Jaxson Dart’s pre-draft meetings left no doubt this guy belongs as a first-round pick. And his teammates are in awe of him too. Rookie RB Cam Skattebo in particular had only praises for Dart. Skattebo said, “The head coach asks you a question and you know the answer like that, you’re into your books and you’re very smart. Just talking to [Dart] about football, and certain routes and play calls, and just hearing him hear a call one time and being able to call it multiple times, – it’s just something that he does well. I can’t wait to continue to see what he does.” While Skattebo is already on board with Jaxson, Brian Daboll does have a few pointers that he’d like Dart to address. Especially the snap count cadence.

During the minicamp, and for his college career as well, Dart has used claps and other hand gestures for the snap count. This is something Daboll thinks Dart will have to learn to change. “most of them haven’t done a cadence – it’s not too hard to learn a cadence. You say a couple words, voice inflection, you continue to learn from that – I wouldn’t say it’s like rocket science,” Daboll said. He further adds, “It’s a weapon for a quarterback. Fortunately, we have Russ who’s done it for a long time and Jameis – You try to let the younger guys, even like [Tommy] DeVito, hear those guys and you try to make it as similar as you can.” Daboll had mentioned in the draft pressers they intend to develop Dart as much a possible. Veterans Wilson and Winston will have a big role to play in that moving forward.

And Dart? He’s not worried. He’s a “competitor” and he’s putting the work in. Dart’s confidence and edge were clear when he said, “for me, I care about winning. There’s nothing fun about losing. So it doesn’t matter where you’re at on the depth chart, if you’re playing this much or not playing this much, if you’re losing, it sucks. So, for me, I want to make the team better, and that’s my focus.” Now here’s a guy who’s already looking toward the future. He’s not biding his time and learning. He’s learning and putting it all to work instantly. With this drive and energy, the Giants just might have a new QB1 sooner than they expected.