Feb. 9, 2026, 10:01 a.m. ET
When New York Giants rookie Jaxson Dart was at Ole Miss, he knew someday he’d be calling signals in an NFL game as a quarterback.
That is why he practiced every aspect that makes an NFL quarterback great in his development. From the big things to the small, Dart made sure he had the skills NFL evaluators were looking for.
One of those skills — and one that takes young quarterbacks years to develop sometimes — is the cadence when barking out those signals at the line of scrimmage. Dart entered the league already having mastered the nuances of cadence, which will keep defenses on their heels as he attempts to carve them up.
Dart’s pre-draft preparation included attending the Manning Passing Academy for several years, and he developed a close relationship with the NFL’s first family of quarterbacks.
After Dart was selected 25th overall by the Giants in the 2025 NFL draft, he couldn’t have landed in a better spot. The Mannings, particularly Eli, who played 16 years for the Giants, were waiting.
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Eli and his dad, Archie, also played their college ball at Ole Miss. They took a special interest in Dart’s future and will continue to do so.
“(The Mannings) were just such an amazing asset for me when I was at Ole Miss,” Dart said. “Obviously going down to the Manning Passing Academy and spending more time with them there, and then Archie just being consistent with texting me, and he made sure to give me a good luck today, and then Eli, I couldn’t ask for a better resource than that. … I’m going to continue to lean on them a little bit, and I couldn’t be more blessed to have them in my corner.”
