Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart greeted each other with big smiles and bro hugs while they were introduced as the New York Giants’ newest first-round draft picks.
It was a lot more cordial — and less painful — than the last time the two got together on the field.
Carter put a huge hit on Dart during the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30, 2023, sending the Mississippi quarterback to the turf and leaving him with a bit of a limp after an incomplete pass.
“I definitely got a good shot at him,” recalled Carter, the former Penn State pass rusher. “But he’s tough. He got right back up, kept playing throughout the whole game. So, I knew right there he was a good player.”
Dart also got the last laugh, leading Ole Miss to a 38-25 victory while throwing for 379 yards and three touchdowns.
“Well, he beat us,” Carter said. “So if you beat Penn State in a big game like that, I know you’re the real deal, especially at quarterback.”
The Giants would certainly agree — on both players.
With the No. 3 overall pick Thursday night, New York took Carter to add to an already solid pass rush that includes Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns.
A few hours later, general manager Joe Schoen traded back into the first round to get the No. 25 pick from Houston and took Dart.
While Carter could have an immediate impact, Dart should be able to sit and learn for at least a season with veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston ahead of him on the depth chart. But both Carter and Dart could be major foundation pieces for the Giants for years to come.
“I’m fired up about the two players that we were able to get (Thursday night),” Schoen said.
Oh, and as far as that hit, Dart remembers it well. And he looked forward to seeing Carter again on the field — as teammates.
“I actually told my family before this that I hope I get the chance to play with him because I know how great of a player he is,” Dart said. “I’ve seen what his teammates have said about him and how he’s able to set a culture for the team, and I see it the exact same way. I’m excited to compete with him and be a teammate with him.”
Hitting the bull’s-eye
Schoen and coach Brian Daboll enter this season on the hot seat after last season’s 3-14 finish had co-owner John Mara insisting that marked improvement was needed. Mara also wanted to solidify the quarterback position.
Schoen did that for the short term by signing Wilson and Winston and then put a potential long-term solution in place by drafting Dart.
One of Daboll’s biggest strengths has been developing quarterbacks, and he now gets his first real chance to do so with a top rookie prospect with the Giants.
“I think this guy has gotten better every year he’s played,” Daboll said. “He’s a leader. He was smart. He has the attributes that we were looking for. … He’s got a lot to learn (and) it’ll be a process here with him, but he’s a guy we look forward to working with.”
Bowling ’em over
The Giants got a potential running mate for Dexter Lawrence in the middle of their defensive line by taking Toledo tackle Darius Alexander in the third round.
The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Alexander saw his draft stock soar after an impressive performance at the Senior Bowl, where he seemed unblockable at times.
“I feel like a lot of people had me underrated, thinking I couldn’t play with the best of the best or go out there and compete,” Alexander said. “So that week, I wanted to go out there, show I could dominate the game and dominate other players out there, as well, and show that I could compete against the best of the best, and I think I did that well.”
Getting physical
The Giants drafted Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo in the fourth round, adding a powerful presence to their backfield to complement the speedy Tyrone Tracy and versatile Devin Singletary.
The 5-foot-9 1/2, 220-pound bulldozer had a school-record 1,711 yards rushing last season, with 1,202 of them coming after first contact. He was also a scoring machine for the Sun Devils with 24 touchdowns, including 21 rushing — both also Arizona State records.
“You can go back, watch some film from back in the day — It’s always been a very physical game for me,” Skattebo said. “Since the age of 6 years old, I’ve been doing the same thing.”
Does that mean he was driving opposing 6-year-olds into the ground in his Pop Warner days?
“Yeah,” Skattebo said, “absolutely, absolutely.”
Depth pieces
The Giants wrapped up their draft by getting potential backups in the later rounds, including Purdue offensive tackle Marcus Mbow (fifth round), and Nebraska tight end Thomas Fidone and Oklahoma State cornerback Korie Black in the seventh.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart greeted each other with big smiles and bro hugs while they were introduced as the New York Giants’ newest first-round draft picks.
It was a lot more cordial — and less painful — than the last time the two got together on the field.
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Carter put a huge hit on Dart during the Peach Bowl on Dec. 30, 2023, sending the Mississippi quarterback to the turf and leaving him with a bit of a limp after an incomplete pass.
“I definitely got a good shot at him,” recalled Carter, the former Penn State pass rusher. “But he’s tough. He got right back up, kept playing throughout the whole game. So, I knew right there he was a good player.”
Dart also got the last laugh, leading Ole Miss to a 38-25 victory while throwing for 379 yards and three touchdowns.
“Well, he beat us,” Carter said. “So if you beat Penn State in a big game like that, I know you’re the real deal, especially at quarterback.”
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The Giants would certainly agree — on both players.
With the No. 3 overall pick Thursday night, New York took Carter to add to an already solid pass rush that includes Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns.
A few hours later, general manager Joe Schoen traded back into the first round to get the No. 25 pick from Houston and took Dart.
While Carter could have an immediate impact, Dart should be able to sit and learn for at least a season with veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston ahead of him on the depth chart. But both Carter and Dart could be major foundation pieces for the Giants for years to come.
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“I’m fired up about the two players that we were able to get (Thursday night),” Schoen said.
Oh, and as far as that hit, Dart remembers it well. And he looked forward to seeing Carter again on the field — as teammates.
“I actually told my family before this that I hope I get the chance to play with him because I know how great of a player he is,” Dart said. “I’ve seen what his teammates have said about him and how he’s able to set a culture for the team, and I see it the exact same way. I’m excited to compete with him and be a teammate with him.”
Hitting the bull’s-eye
Schoen and coach Brian Daboll enter this season on the hot seat after last season’s 3-14 finish had co-owner John Mara insisting that marked improvement was needed. Mara also wanted to solidify the quarterback position.
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Schoen did that for the short term by signing Wilson and Winston and then put a potential long-term solution in place by drafting Dart.
One of Daboll’s biggest strengths has been developing quarterbacks, and he now gets his first real chance to do so with a top rookie prospect with the Giants.
“I think this guy has gotten better every year he’s played,” Daboll said. “He’s a leader. He was smart. He has the attributes that we were looking for. … He’s got a lot to learn (and) it’ll be a process here with him, but he’s a guy we look forward to working with.”
Bowling ’em over
The Giants got a potential running mate for Dexter Lawrence in the middle of their defensive line by taking Toledo tackle Darius Alexander in the third round.
Advertisement
The 6-foot-4, 305-pound Alexander saw his draft stock soar after an impressive performance at the Senior Bowl, where he seemed unblockable at times.
“I feel like a lot of people had me underrated, thinking I couldn’t play with the best of the best or go out there and compete,” Alexander said. “So that week, I wanted to go out there, show I could dominate the game and dominate other players out there, as well, and show that I could compete against the best of the best, and I think I did that well.”
Getting physical
The Giants drafted Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo in the fourth round, adding a powerful presence to their backfield to complement the speedy Tyrone Tracy and versatile Devin Singletary.
Advertisement
The 5-foot-9 1/2, 220-pound bulldozer had a school-record 1,711 yards rushing last season, with 1,202 of them coming after first contact. He was also a scoring machine for the Sun Devils with 24 touchdowns, including 21 rushing — both also Arizona State records.
“You can go back, watch some film from back in the day — It’s always been a very physical game for me,” Skattebo said. “Since the age of 6 years old, I’ve been doing the same thing.”
Does that mean he was driving opposing 6-year-olds into the ground in his Pop Warner days?
“Yeah,” Skattebo said, “absolutely, absolutely.”
Depth pieces
The Giants wrapped up their draft by getting potential backups in the later rounds, including Purdue offensive tackle Marcus Mbow (fifth round), and Nebraska tight end Thomas Fidone and Oklahoma State cornerback Korie Black in the seventh.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
