Colorado star Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward will almost certainly be the first two quarterbacks picked during the 2025 NFL Draft, but Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart could become the QB3 of his class depending on how he performs throughout ongoing Senior Bowl practices and upcoming workouts.
Cleveland Browns insider Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand shared that Dart “was almost exclusively a shotgun quarterback in Lane Kiffin’s Mississippi offense that simplified calls to stress defenses at a hyper-tempo.” Thus, to improve his draft stock before the night of April 24 arrives, Dart will need to work on taking snaps from under center and his footwork.
“That’s not something you see on a regular basis in the NFL,” former NFL player/executive and current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said about Dart during a recent appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” per Grossi. “So, now it’s about getting the call from the coach, regurgitating it in the huddle, making sure you can give the players the coaching tips in this new offense that the players need to have so that everyone’s on the same page.”
Notably, New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was almost exclusively a shotgun quarterback during college but widely impressed onlookers as a rookie this past fall.
The Browns,
New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets are among the teams that reportedly could target Dart in the draft’s second round. However, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. mentioned in a mock draft published back on Jan. 22 that the Los Angeles Rams could consider taking Dart at No. 26 so that they can prepare him to eventually replace veteran Matthew Stafford.
“Jaxson is talented enough to do all the things they’ll ask him to do at the NFL level and he has enough mental horsepower to be able to absorb all this information and then use it in real time,” Riddick added about Dart. “And it’s getting better and better and better. And when it’s clean, and he’s sure of what the call is, and everyone’s doing his job, you see him do the kind of things he did at Ole Miss and why he’s the all-time passing leader in Ole Miss history. He can push the ball wherever you need it to, and he can do all the things you need an NFL-caliber quarterback to do. And I expect that to continue to get better as the practices continue to stack themselves.”
Multiple analysts have said throughout the winter that the 2025 draft is responsible for “a very questionable group” of quarterbacks. It may not be a stretch to think that some club could spend a late first-round pick on Dart to stash him as a future project and ensure his rookie contract includes a fifth-year team option.
