Before he was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart made an appearance on former NFL head coach Jon Gruden’s podcast.
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As he does with many rookie quarterbacks, Gruden talks football with them, picks their brains about the game, and talks about becoming pro athletes. During a segment when Dart was on the show before the draft, Gruden asked to see his pre-snap count to compare the differences in quarterbacks’ snap count cadences.
Dart stood up, clapped once, and a surprised Gruden responded by saying, “No, I want to hear the snap count.” Dart then clapped again, which put Gruden in dismay.
Appearing on an episode of Barstool Sports recently, Gruden spoke about the viral clip of Dart clapping and spoke about how stunned he was by how common that trend has become. Gruden was asked how sick it made him when Dart told him that he doesn’t have a snap count and all he did was clap throughout his college career.
How the game has changed for Joe Gruden
Gruden pointed out how parts of football are starting to dissolve, as he said pretty much all of the quarterbacks he spoke to prior to the draft are in the same boat — they didn’t actually have a pre-snap count.
“Pretty much all of them did the same thing,” said Gruden. “A lot of people say the game is evolving. Parts of the game are dissolving, and the snap count has almost totally dissolved.”
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Dart was one of six rookie quarterbacks to join Gruden on his segment, Gruden’s QB Class. Will Howard, Riley Leonard, Seth Henigan, Kyle McCord, and Quinn Ewers were the other five quarterbacks who were featured on the segment.
Jaxson Dart ended up being the second quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Giants traded their 2025 second and third-round picks, as well as their 2026 first-round pick, to the Houston Texans for pick No. 25 in the 2025 NFL Draft. With that pick, they selected Dart.
The Giants brought in veteran free agents Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston this offseason. In their crowded quarterback room, Wilson is expected to head into the summer as the starting quarterback, but the job should be an open competition.
The Giants also selected Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter with their original pick in the first round at pick No. 3. Selecting Carter and Dart, the Giants could have possibly set themselves up in a good situation for their future.
