Big Blue View
I honestly can’t believe I’m writing this, but no, the New York Giants shouldn’t trade Jaxson Dart and draft Fernando Mendoza if they get the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Right, let me back up a bit.
The Giants currently hold the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and this very well could be a “one quarterback” draft. As things stand now, Indiana quarterback, and Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza is the only quarterback who is likely to enter the draft who will carry a first round pick. And because of the number of In all likelihood, Mendoza will be the first pick in the draft thanks to the number of quarterback-needy teams who will be drafting in the Top 10.
The conversation surrounding the Giants and the first overall pick has shifted over the last couple days. Lately, there have been some suggesting that if the Giants wind up with the first overall pick, they should draft Mendoza and trade Dart.
The argument is that with “all his injury problems” Dart will fizzle out as a bust, and that the Giants should move on by drafting the less-athletic (and therefore safer?) Mendoza after trading Dart.
I should be clear, this sentiment isn’t crawling out of the darker corners of the internet. It’s coming from places like ESPN.
Kevin Clark of ESPN2 asked Daniel Jeremiah if the Giants (or Titans) should “pull a Josh Rosen”— trade Dart (or Cam Ward) and draft Mendoza.
Jeremiah, notably a former NFL scout, shot the idea down immediately.
“No, not where I am in the process right now”, Jeremiah said. “I’ve seen Cam Ward play live and I was there for Jaxson Dart’s first start with the Giants. … Those guys, talent-wise, I think they’re more talented, they’re more physically gifted than any of the quarterbacks that I’ve seen in this class.”
“I like Mendoza,” he added, “I think he’s the best one that I’ve seen so far. But it wouldn’t be enough for me to punt on either one of those guys [Dart or Ward].”
But that’s not all. Former Giant Chris Canty brought it up and cited sticking with Dart as a “risk” for the Giants, which was then discussed on the ESPN morning show “Get Up” (10:43).
Bill Barnwell expressed “concern” about Dart’s inability to avoid injury as part of his reasoning why the Giants’ coaching position is unattractive, actually.
Dart’s inability to avoid big hits and injuries is quickly becoming concerning. Sunday was the fifth time in 10 starts that he has been forced to leave the game to undergo a concussion evaluation, and he missed losses to the Packers and Lions.
This, of course, ignores that Dart has repeatedly been cleared by independent neurologists and the calls to the tent often come after relatively routine plays. That isn’t to say he hasn’t taken big hits — he certainly has — but rather most of the calls to the tent were on relatively...
