Giants' Jaxson Dart admits he has chip on his shoulder for matchup vs. Saints

Jaxson Dart isn't pretending that Sunday's game between the Giants and Saints doesn't carry a little extra significance for New York's rookie quarterback. 

The Saints, after all, passed on the opportunity to draft Dart despite having several pre-draft meetings that Dart has described as positive. The Giants ultimately traded up to draft Dart, while the Saints wait a little bit longer before selecting quarterback Tyler Shough with the 40th pick. 

"There is always a chip on your shoulder any time something like that happens," Dart said, via ESPN. "But yeah, I'm just going to go out there and play as hard as I can."

A slew of mock drafts had the Saints selecting Dart, who was considered the second-ranked quarterback prospect in this year's draft behind only Cam Ward, who was selected by the Titans with the No. 1 overall pick. With Derek Carr's future up in the air (he eventually retired shortly after the draft concluded), the thought was that new coach Kellen Moore would want to start his Saints tenure with a fresh face under center. 

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The Saints instead chose to use the No. 9 overall pick on their offensive line, selecting offensive tackle and former Texas standout Kelvin Banks Jr. Dart then watched as 15 other players were drafted before the Giants took him with the 25th pick. 

"Yeah, I felt like my visit with them went good," Dart said of the Saints. "You kind of have thoughts in your head about what options are realistic, and I felt that was a place that could've panned out. But things didn't work out that way."

The Saints enter Sunday's game with an 0-4 record, although quarterback play hasn't necessarily been the biggest issue. Second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler is completing 67.1% of his passes with five touchdowns against just one interception. 

Things have worked out so far for Dart in New York. In his first career start, Dart led the Giants to their first win of the season, a 21-18 win over the previously unbeaten Chargers that included two touchdowns from Dart. 

"I love it here," Dart said. "There's not a place that I'd rather be. I love just how passionate people are outside the facility, in the facility. I like the attitude the East Coasters have. It's a lot of fun. So I love it."