2025 NFL Draft: Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart Breakdown
Fundamentally, Jaxson Dart understands how to play the quarterback position. His physical abilities don’t necessarily jump out at you on film, but he’s got a wide variety of tools with which he can beat a defense.
In Lane Kiffin’s system at Ole Miss, Dart was in shotgun almost all of the time while predominantly executing a quick/RPO passing game. He was extremely comfortable doing so, playing with great timing on these types of throws and making quick decisions.
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It was reminiscent of what I saw from Bo Nix at Oregon in the sense that he was in the habit of reading the field quickly and making snap decisions in response to the defense on 1-to-2 receiver reads. And even though that won’t be the exact style of system he’ll play in at the next level, the ability to quickly process and react will serve him well in the NFL.
Dart also showed some ability to throw with anticipation, make touch throws, move within the pocket, and use his legs to generate offense.
Despite not being an athlete who will make defenders look silly like a Jalen Milroe, Dart was a regular force in the Ole Miss designed-run game. He played with a lack of regard for his body while carrying the ball at times. That desire to mix it up and almost seek contact was also visible in the way he was willing to stand in the pocket and take a hit before delivering the ball to an open receiver. That ability to hang tough in the pocket is a must-have in the NFL.
The issue with Dart is that he’s good in most of the key areas, but not great. On the one hand, it’s good to see he can do a lot of the things needed to be a successful NFL quarterback. On the other hand, he doesn’t have the physical abilities as a thrower or runner to completely compensate for the gaps in his game.
The main theme at the quarterback position in this year’s draft is that the success each prospect will have at the NFL level is dependent on the team he goes to. While this is true to a certain extent for every quarterback, it’s especially the case with this class. And Dart is no exception.
He can absolutely blossom into an effective quarterback, but it will take some time and depend on the situation.
Comfortable in the Short-Passing Game
The thing that stands out from Dart’s film is how proficient and comfortable he is executing the short-passing game. He’s very accurate on these quick-hitter throws and doesn’t need a huge window to pull the trigger and get completions:
If you’re going to spend so much time executing the short-passing game, you have to be able to consistently live in a world where receivers don’t have a ton of separation. Dart can do that, and that’s the type of quarterback play that can help keep an offense moving forward.
He also does an excellent job of getting the ball out on time and in rhythm in the short passing game. He even throws with a good level of anticipation on quick throws, which isn’t easy to do: