Competition between Giants QB Jaxson Dart, CB Nic Jones sharpens players' skills

Before Jaxson Dart  threw his first pass in training camp for a full team drill, he took the field to great applause from fans waiting to see the Giants’ first-round pick in action.

Those cheers faded immediately when Dart’s pass was intercepted by cornerback Nic Jones, also making his Giants debut. It’s a reminder that the young quarterback’s promise should be accompanied by patience, because he won’t be perfect right away.

With Dart playing at MetLife Stadium on Saturday — a 31-12 win by the Giants over the Jets in which he went 14-for-16 for 137 yards and a touchdown — and Thursday to close out the preseason, Giants fans will see both the good and the not so good.

Perhaps they’ll see why the team is banking its future on the Ole Miss product, just as it did 21 years ago with another Ole Miss product, Eli Manning.

But there will be mistakes. There will be “Welcome to the NFL’’ moments similar to the one in which Jones intercepted Dart’s first pass in 11-on-11 work. There also is encouragement because Jones, who signed with the Giants in the offseason after playing for Kansas City, sees the potential.

“I think he’s the real deal,” Jones told Newsday. “Not just because of the talent that he possesses but because of how he hones it. How he prepares every day. How he corrects his mistakes, how he adapts, bounces back. His confidence is through the roof.”

Jones, entering his third season, made things tough on Dart during the first few practices. In the second practice on July 24, Jones got him on a corner blitz for a sack. Three days later, Jones broke up a pass Dart threw his way.

He became one of Dart’s early tormentors, offering a reminder that NFL speed is faster than college speed and passing windows shrink more quickly. But off the field, he became one of the rookie’s early teachers

“Our lockers are right next to each other, so we are going out to practice making jokes, ‘I’m still going to come at you today’ and ‘I got to get my get back,’ ” Dart said. “We’re just competing. It’s a lot of fun to kind of have that environment in the locker room.”

As much as Dart has learned from the quarterback room and his coaches, he’s also listening to defenders such as Jones break down coverage. It helps that Jones spent his first two seasons coached by one of the NFL’s best defensive coordinators in  Steve Spagnuolo.

So when Jones talks, Dart listens. “Tendency-wise, if you see this, this is probably what’s coming behind it,” Dart said of what Jones told him.

“Just a lot of it was him just in the spot drop zone and playing off my eyes. He is just telling me a lot of times, because he played with Patrick [Mahomes] and what Pat used to do with him and just kind of manipulate different plays and schemes to make it work.”

Sometimes it works. A few plays after Jones broke up his pass, Dart challenged him with better results. He connected on a pass to Theo Johnson with Jones as the primary defender.

Later that day, in a two-minute drill, Dart threw Jones’ way again, this time a completion to Jordan Bly.

Jones appreciated it. He’s using the preseason to impress for reps on second-team duty, so Dart is helping him to stay sharp. Yet he’s also impressed by Dart’s composure and fearlessness along with his arm talents.

“He’s a rookie, but upstairs, you would think he’s a vet,” Jones said. “He’s battle-tested. He’s one of those guys that believes in himself. Good day, bad day. Good play, bad play. He still thinks he’s Jaxson Dart. That’s what I love about him.”

Jones also has given Dart a secret weapon with tips he learned while facing Mahomes in practice. It’s one thing for Dart to pick up information from  Russell Wilson  and another to have inside info on how Mahomes handles his business, dissects defenses and approaches the game.

That’s what makes Jones’ advice another piece in Dart’s toolbox. Jones has challenged and thwarted him on the field, but it’s helped make him better.

The fact that Dart is a good listener as well as a fierce competitor is why Jones thinks he will thrive.

“It’s refreshing to see a young guy that’s just eager to learn but eager to compete at the same time,” Jones said. “He wants to know and then he wants to use it because he wants to win. He’s hungry to win, and that same hunger drives me because I don’t want to let him make a play.”

By Evan Barnes

evan.barnes@newsday.comevan_b

Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.