How has Giants’ rookie QB Jaxson Dart really done this spring

Let’s look at Dart’s development as he hits what might be considered the first checkpoint of his career

Everyone with a social media account or platform of some sort seems to have an opinion on how New York Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart has performed in his first spring as an NFL quarterback.

We have already discussed the ridiculousness of some of those uneducated opinions, formed without seeing a single snap of Dart’s work as a Giant.

Rather than rehash that or give you my views on the five practices I have witnessed this spring, let’s examine some thoughts from the people who count — the ones who work with him.

Offensive coordinator Mike Kafka said recently that the Giants have a detailed plan for Dart’s development that stretches over a period of years. That includes an outline of where his progress should be at certain points in that timeline.

With mandatory minicamp ending on Wednesday, we have reached one of those early checkpoints.

“I think whenever you draft a quarterback early, you want to have a plan or some semblance of a plan or schedule put in place to understand that it’s not really a one-week [plan]; it’s a six-month, one-year, two-year type plan for really any player,” Kafka said. “For any player you get you want to see what that player is going to be at some point in the distance, six months, 12 months, 18 months in the future, where his progress is and where he should be. That way, along the way you can evaluate is he on schedule? Is he a little bit further behind? Do we need to add or subtract certain things?”

Head coach Brian Daboll said before Tuesday’s first practice of mandatory minicamp that Dart’s spring had been “excellent.”

“He’s picking up the information. It’s really good to have (quarterback) Russ (Russell Wilson) and (quarterback) Jameis (Winston) and even (quarterback) Tommy (DeVito) because Tommy’s been in the system for a few years here. And he’s kind of the head statesman in terms of that and all the adjustments that take place or the calls,” Daboll said. “He’s fit right in with those guys. He’s smart. He’s aggressive with the football, which I like. And then the true test will be once we start and there’s live hitting and preseason games and things like that. But he’s progressed since he’s been here to where he is now. He’s made good improvement.”

Quarterbacks coach Shea Tierney has been impressed by Dart’s approach.

“It’s impressive to see the last couple of weeks how he’s prepared and made the transition to becoming a pro,” Tierney said. “He’s done a really good job of coming in here and understanding what he’s got to do to make himself a pro.”

Tierney said that Dart is an “instinctive” player.

“Does a really good job knowing where to go with the ball,” Tierney said. “When you’re a rookie you don’t know what you don’t know yet and you’re trying to figure everything out. He does a good job of once the ball is snapped just letting himself play football.

“He’s not letting it get too big on him. He’s just playing football and going out there and enjoying it.”

Dart’s play has been up and down, and Tuesday was indicative. He was on the field for a pair of 11-on-11 sessions. In one, he was hesitant. He took a sack and threw a ball into the ground, but also threw a beautiful pass to undrafted wide receiver Beaux Collins that would have been a touchdown has Collins been able to come down in bounds. In his second session, I had Dart unofficially at 6 of 7 with a touchdown.

Daboll said the Giants have thrown a heavy volume of information at the rookie quarterback.

“I’d say philosophy in general is to throw a lot at all these guys. And then you pull it back and see what kind of sticks and then you break it down a little bit and then you throw it all at them again. And then by the third time they hear it, they’re usually a lot more comfortable with the information,” Daboll said. “Again, there’s a lot of information for the quarterbacks in any system. But I think throwing it at them, bringing it back, breaking it down in smaller parts and then throwing it back at them or kind of whole part, whole philosophy. I learned that from Coach Saban.

“He falls back naturally on his fundamentals of how he throws the football. Are there little tweaks you can make? Sure, there are little tweaks, but then when you add all the information that goes along with it, sometimes it’s overload, which is fine. It happens to all young players. You coach them technique wise in individual drills and coach them throughout the practice of movement in the pocket or taking too much or turning it loose when you can turn it loose or avoiding a sack. You understand that there’s going to be a lot of things to teach off of for these young guys. But (Jaxson) has done a great job with … you can give him a lot. He can absorb a lot and then he knows kind of what to weed out and then what to really focus on the next day. So, he’s been good.”

Dart is surrounded by veteran quarterbacks, but will have to make his own mistakes and learn his own lessons.

“I think one of the toughest ways to experience something is through experience,” said Winston, a former No. 1 overall pick who has now settled into a role as a journeyman backup quarterback. “So I feel like some of the trials and some of the victories that Russ and myself or even Tommy have had throughout our career, we’re able to relay that message to him in a way that maybe he gets a chance to see something before it happens or maybe we give him a few nuggets that he can take so he doesn’t put himself in situations that we may have put ourselves in.

“But ultimately, Jaxson is his own guy. So, he’s going (to) get out there and he’s going (to) have some great human experiences, but if we can speak to him and encourage him in a way that limits some of the lack of experience, that’ll be beneficial for him.”

So, that’s what the people who matter see as Dart hits his first checkpoint.