Manning, of course, starred at Mississippi — his father Archie’s alma mater — before landing with the Giants in 2004. Dart started the past three seasons there after transferring from USC. He broke Eli’s school record for career passing yards.

The New York Giants traded back into the first round of the 2025 NFL draft to select quarterback Jaxson Dart on Thursday. With Dart getting picked by New York, he follows in the footsteps of franchise great Eli Manning, who also played quarterback at Ole Miss before becoming the Giants signal-caller.

When the New York Giants selected Jaxson Dart with the No. 25 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, they continued a trend of hitching their fortunes to Ole Miss quarterbacks. On Friday, former Rebels and Giants QB Eli Manning officially welcomed Dart to the club.