Feb 1, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; American team quarterback Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss (2) warms up before the 2025 Senior Bowl football game against the National Team at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

Originally posted on New York Giants on SI
By Nick Falato | Last updated Apr 4, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Many draft analysts believe Jaxson Dart has surpassed Colorado's Shedeur Sanders as the second-best quarterback prospect in this draft class.

Jaxson Dart QB

A former four-star recruit out of Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah, where he was the 13th quarterback and the second player from the state of Utah in the 2021 recruiting cycle (105th overall). Dart initially attended USC and transferred after the 2021 season to Ole Miss.

He was a four-star recruit in the transfer portal – the third quarterback and the seventh overall-ranked player. In addition to football, Dart was a two-time all-state third baseman in college.

Dart transferred away from USC after the hiring of Lincoln Riley and the rumors of Caleb Williams’ transfer, which transpired. Dart then started 12 of 13 games in 2022 for the Rebels and did not look back.

Dart averaged 9.1 yards per attempt with a 10.9-yard aDOT and a 15.1% pressure-to-sack ratio in Lane Kiffin’s high-powered – high tempo – RPO-spread offense.

Dart earned the Conerly Trophy in 2024 and a First-Team All-SEC honor; the latter trophy is bestowed to the best college football player in the state of Mississippi.

Dart had a 7.1% Big-Time-Throw-Rate in 2024 with just a 2.2% Turnover-Worthy-Play-Rate. Those numbers across his college career were 6.0% for BTT and 2.7% for TWP%, according to Pro Football Focus.

Dart did well against the blitz in 2024, throwing 12 touchdowns with just two interceptions; he completed 66.2% of his passes against the blitz and had an 8.4% Big-Time-Throw-Rate.

Strengths

WATCH: Jaxson Dart’s throwing session highlights Ole Miss Pro Day https://t.co/lJY1Ev1T7E pic.twitter.com/mVyXGcjpQF
— OMSpiritOn3 (@OMSpiritOn3) March 29, 2025

Weaknesses

Summary

Jaxson Dart is an intriguing college quarterback who operated Lane Kiffin’s fast-paced RPO-Spread system efficiently while leveraging his good overall arm talent to challenge defenses downfield.

One of the most controversial parts of Dart’s evaluation is the transition from Kiffin’s offense – which provided isolated QB-friendly reads and packaged RPO plays – to the NFL, where space is limited and the defensive athletes move much faster.

Coaches and people with access to Dart may be able to discern his quarterbacking knowledge beyond Kiffin’s scheme, but it remains a bit nebulous to outsiders. With that stated, there are reasons to believe Dart projects well to the next level.

Dart has good overall arm talent, and he CAN push the ball vertically with above-average accuracy. I wouldn’t say Dart has elite arm talent or the biggest arm in the world, but it’s sufficient for the NFL game; he has enough arm strength to access every part of the football field.

He is willing to stand tall in the pocket and deliver through contact; he is a tough guy. He’s enough of an athlete to escape muddy pockets at the next level; I would say slightly worse than Bo Nix from last year’s draft, who just rushed for 430 yards in his rookie season.

Overall, Dart is about to experience an entirely different – and possibly more challenging – way of playing quarterback, for the NFL is not conducive to the style he thrived within over the last three seasons.

Dart was obviously comfortable in Kiffin’s scheme – that’s a good thing! Still, the conjecture about his transition may be detectable in a meeting room or during a workout, but the true nature of that transition may not be ascertained until semi-live reps (training camp).

I am also slightly concerned about Dart’s decision-making under pressure, which he should see much more of in the NFL. Nevertheless, Dart is a solid prospect to bank on for development due to his projectable traits.

GRADE: 6.20

This article first appeared on New York Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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