NFL Analysis
10/28/24
6 min read
Jaxson Dart 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Ole Miss Rebels QB
Height: 6020 (unofficial)
Weight: 225 (unofficial)
Year: Senior
Pro Comparison: Jarrett Stidham
Scouting Overview
Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart has been a productive quarterback for several seasons after transferring from USC as a sophomore. Thanks to an effective marriage with offensive savant Lane Kiffin, Dart has made the most of his opportunity to play in the SEC by launching explosive pass plays to a slew of gifted pass catchers.
Dart has the necessary athleticism to get outside the pocket and extend plays, plus the arm strength to access most areas of the field when he’s flushed off his spot. However, the precision of his game will need tuning in the pros, as the supporting cast and offensive scheme at Ole Miss provide a margin for error that Dart’s play will likely not be afforded at the NFL level.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- Toughness inside the pocket to deliver throws under pressure
- Ball handling skills & ability to execute ball fakes
- Possesses the arm strength to access every level of the field
Negatives
- Decision-making & accuracy falter under pressure
- Will leave progression throws on the field to go off-script and flush pocket
- The transition from space-friendly offense at Ole Miss could be a major one
Background
Dart hails from Kaysville, UT, and is a second-generation college football player. His father, Brandon, played safety at Utah. Dart played baseball in addition to football at Corner Canyon HS (Draper, UT) and was a two-time All-State selection in baseball as a third baseman.
He received national accolades as a 4-star ranked quarterback his senior season (247 Sports). Dart was named the 2020 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year and Max Preps’ National Player of the Year en route to crushing the state record book. Dart posted 4,691 yards and 67 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,195 yards and 12 scores before enrolling at USC.
Dart joined the Trojans in January 2021 and went on to play in six games (three starts) as a true freshman amid a lost season for USC. Less than a year after joining USC, Dart entered the transfer portal and committed to Ole Miss less than three weeks later. Ever since, Dart has been the unquestioned starter of the Rebels program and has steadily seen his production grow each year as the triggerman of the Ole Miss offense.
Tale Of THe Tape
Dart has a slew of promising physical skills that should be given the opportunity to develop at the next level. When he’s in rhythm and on time, he spins a beautiful football and can lace throws in the middle of the field or vertically on big shot plays.
Enough athleticism complements these skills to get outside the pocket and extend plays with his legs or change the launch point as a means of allowing deeper progressions to develop. With that in mind, his evaluation is a complex one on account of both the dynamics of his offense and his play style.
It is easy to appreciate and respect Dart's toughness. His willingness to hang in the pocket when he feels he has a throw developing exposes him to some nasty hits, but generally speaking, he does put the ball out there for his receivers to make a play if Dart feels the pressure coming.
Still, his process vs. pressure is not particularly efficient, and his overall performance in this area looms as a big spot for growth. Too often, Dart will drop his eyes when he feels a collapsing pocket and miss opportunities to make easier throws, and even more frustrating are the times when he locks onto a primary read and does not work through his targets to locate secondary options with the football to avoid hits or sacks.
Given the spacing he is afforded in a spread offense at Ole Miss, these issues only compound at the NFL level when the field is more compressed, and the action happens faster.
The Ole Miss offense gives Dart a lot of opportunities to attack double moves on the perimeter and big posts into the middle of the field. Dart has the strength to attack these throws and can drop throws in the bucket on these reps, particularly as a primary progression when he can hitch off his back foot and cut it loose. He’s typically most accurate on the sideline when getting the ball up and down between 25-30 yards — so extended plays when he needs to put more juice on the ball lose some of their luster.
Kiffin’s offense is at its best when the run game is firing, and Dart plays off that well with his ball handling. He sells fakes well and can quickly pull the ball out of the mesh point to shoot a throw if given overplay from defenders keying on the run.
This also goes for RPO concepts; he can quickly hit a slide route into the flat if apex defenders look to duck into a run fit and alienate the flat. Those ball fakes can be a force multiplier on some easy bootouts and quarterback runs. Dart is athletic enough to run naked game on the edge and should be considered reliable enough to get outside a crashing defensive end to put a defense on their heels and get on the edge.
Syncing Dart’s footwork to his route depth with more consistency could help him with some of the general accuracy he illustrates and, at times, has issues with. He has the arm talent to throw off-platform, but Dart does not do himself any favors with his feet. The trickle-down effect leaves him out of position to progress through progressions that don’t flow directly into his initial line of sight and prompt him into some disappointing misses on open throws. He’s missed some layups that should set off alarm bells for evaluators.
I worry that if Dart is put in a position to play early, he will be drinking through a firehose. Life will be dramatically different than what Ole Miss has afforded him during the past three seasons, and he will need significant leaps in the precision of his feet and his decision-making pre and post-snap to put all of his physical gifts to good use.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
A long-term developmental quarterback in a balanced offense that embraces play-action passing at an above-average clip.
Grade: 72.00/100.00, Fourth Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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