The New York Giants selected quarterback Jaxson Dart with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and since taking over as the starter in Week 4, the rookie has shown why he earned that selection. Dart has thrown for 984 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions, while also showcasing his mobility with 195 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.
The San Francisco 49ers defense will look to contain Dart when the teams meet on Sunday. San Francisco has struggled in recent years against mobile quarterbacks, leading one reporter to ask defensive coordinator Robert Saleh whether the defense might assign a linebacker or safety to spy the Giants' signal-caller.
That question prompted Saleh to deliver high praise for the young quarterback and his promising future.
"He is uber talented," Saleh said. "I understand why [Giants head coach Brian] Daboll went to the blue tent. I probably would've went, too."
Saleh was referring to the incident during Week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles, when Daboll entered the medical tent while Dart was being evaluated for a possible concussion—a move that violated NFL concussion protocol. The Giants were fined $200,000, while Daboll was personally fined $100,000 for his actions.
"I think New York hit on this one big time," Saleh continued. "But he's dynamic, he's decisive, he's accurate. He's been a joy to watch just studying his tape over the last, what, five starts now? They're doing a really good job with him. ... And this kid, he's going to be special."
49ers offensive coordinator Klay Kubiak echoed those sentiments when asked about the team's scouting evaluation of Dart before the draft.
"Oh, I loved him," Kubiak said. "He was a heck of a player and just a gamer. And you saw a guy who competed and who won a lot of games, and he's just a playmaker at the position.
"And aside from the natural talent, you just loved how he competed and made plays. So not surprised at all that he is doing well. He is a heck of a player."
Head coach Kyle Shanahan sees defending Dart as a huge challenge for the defense.
"He's shown he can get rid of it, but what this guy's done different is how much off-schedules he's had," Shanahan said during a radio interview on Thursday. "Since he's taken over, they've got more off-schedule plays than anyone in the NFL. A lot of explosives doing it. You hope to limit some of those. You know he's going to have his moments where he buys some time and gets some off-schedule ones. You've got to keep him out of the end zone and find a way to get off on third down.
"But we've got to be much better than we were last week, not just in blitzing, but also playing coverage."
The 49ers' defense will look to limit the rookie's impact both through the air and on the ground as the team looks to rebound from a disappointing loss.
Comments