NFL teams will be searching for a hero in the 2025 NFL Draft quarterback class. With his scouting report, can Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart be that player? Dart has all of the necessary talent, and as his report shows, he might have a complete profile worthy of Round 1 consideration.
Jaxson Dart’s Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 6’2″
- Weight: 220 pounds
- Position: Quarterback
- School: Ole Miss
- Current Year: Senior
If his last name wasn’t evidence enough, Dart was born to be a quarterback. As a senior at Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah, he broke the state record for passing touchdowns in a season with 67 and also threw for 4,691 yards — winning the Gatorade Player of the Year award at a national level.
Across the board, Dart was a four-star recruit and a top-100 talent, and he has some fringe five-star recognition from various outlets. Dart committed to USC and started three games as a true freshman in relief of Kedon Slovis, throwing for 1,353 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions.
After an overhaul led Lincoln Riley and Caleb Williams to USC, Dart transferred to Ole Miss in the 2022 offseason, succeeding third-round 2022 NFL Draft selection Matt Corral as Lane Kiffin’s starting QB.
Dart’s first year with the Rebels was up and down. The team went 7-5 under his watch, while he himself completed 62.4% of his passes for 2,964 yards, 20 TDs, and 11 INTs. But in 2023, Dart took a step up and brought the Rebels to the brink of playoff contention.
In 2023, Dart completed 233 of 358 pass attempts (65.1%) for 3,364 yards, 23 scores, and just five picks. On the ground, he added 389 yards and eight additional TDs. Dart led Ole Miss to an 11-2 record and a Peach Bowl victory over Penn State, earning honorable mention All-SEC recognition at College Football Network.
Dart could have declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, but in the 2025 cycle, he truly has a chance to command Round 1 capital if he can keep following his upward trajectory.
On tape, what does Dart bring to the table, and what kind of potential does he have?
Dart’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Possesses a live arm and can drive velocity into the intermediate and deep ranges.
- Has the requisite arm elasticity to adjust throwing angles and release points at will.
- Still learning how to channel it but has high-end layering ability with his arm talent.
- Extremely explosive evasive threat and runner, who gets up to speed quickly.
- Able to keep his eyes up on the scramble drill and maintain congruence off-platform.
- Has shown to slide and rotate his base to manage space against pressure threats.
- Crisp rotational thrower who can stay in phase while stepping up into narrow lanes.
- Mechanically sound passer with good general accuracy and distribution ability.
- Can use pre-snap formation reads to identify optimal targets and capitalize.
- Flashes the ability to read progressions high-to-low and quickly divert to checkdowns.
- Shows glimpse of middle-field anticipation, rifling leading tight-window throws to WRs.
- Anticipation and high-end arm talent can yield masterfully layered intermediate throws.
- Generally has good ball security and discretion, and can manage the offense.
- Flashes the toughness and poise to stand in and deliver with pressure bearing down.
- Has the wherewithal to throw the ball away when worked into a corner by pressure.
Weaknesses
- Doesn’t quite have quantifiably elite arm strength or creation capacity.
- At times, can improve his situational precision on drive throws to better preserve receivers.
- Failure to roll his base can sometimes tug Dart’s front shoulder high, causing imprecision.
- Concave release can cause passes to float overtop their intended targets at times.
- Sometimes tugs his front shoulder down off PA exchanges, causing passes to stall.
- Pressure can bring about inconsistencies in his base width and footwork on release.
- Sometimes works himself into a corner when attempting to seep into lanes and escape.
- Occasionally peels off initial reads too early and fails to anticipate seam opportunities.
- Can still become more consistent as an anticipator and less “see it, throw it” as a QB.
- Lackadaisical drop-back footwork can lead to late triggers on downfield pass attempts.
- Can stare down initial targets and attempts to force ill-advised passes.
- Gets caught big-play hunting on early, low-leverage downs, increasing turnover risk.
- Has room to better preserve himself as a runner to avoid big hits.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Entering the 2025 NFL Draft cycle, Dart grades out as a top-75 overall prospect and a top-three quarterback. He’s an early-round talent entering the summer months, and with another season of development, has a chance to lock himself into the Round 1 range and be a franchise QB candidate.
Dart was a fringe five-star recruit coming out of high school, and his natural raw talent is an obvious selling point. Not only is he a passer attuned to the modern game with his arm strength and elasticity, but he’s also an explosive athlete and a tough competitor.
In the past, Ole Miss QB prospects haven’t always expanded beyond those traits, but Dart flashes the ability to do so. Already, he’s a mechanically sound and accurate distributor, and he’s shown glimpses of high-level anticipation, stimuli quickness, and layering ability at multiple levels.
There’s still room for Dart to keep growing. His anticipation can run hot and cold at times, and his pocket navigation in tight and cluttered spaces can improve. And while accuracy is a strong suit, his situational precision on drive throws outside the numbers can also be better.
Nevertheless, Dart has all of the requisite talent to be a Round 1 pick — especially in a thin 2025 NFL Draft QB class. Operationally, he’s well on his way to seeing that outcome through. Still just 21 years old, with an abundance of starting experience, Dart has franchise QB potential.