2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Jaxson Dart, QB Ole Miss
Jaxson Dart started his college career at USC in 2021 and played six games. He had moderate success before transferring to Ole Miss and playing in Lane Kiffin’s offense. He played at Ole Miss for three years and had over 10,000 yards and 81 passing touchdowns. He improved every year and had his best year by far in 2024.
The 2025 QB class does not look as strong as the class in 2024. There is a question if there are elite players at the top. Also, there are questions about who the third quarterback prospect is after Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders. With a good showing at the Senior Bowl, Dart could make a claim for that spot.
Recruitment
Dart was a top-ten quarterback prospect in the 2021 class and was Utah’s second-ranked player. He had offers from many PAC 12 schools but decided on USC. When he hit the transfer portal in 2022 he was ranked the seventh overall prospect in the portal and the third ranked quarterback.
Collegiate Career
In his first year, Dart shared time with struggling Kedon Slovis. Dart threw for 1,353 yards and nine touchdowns in six games. Lincoln Riley was named the new head coach at USC and Dart decided to move on to play at Ole Miss. In 2022, Dart played all 13 games and passed for 2,974 yards and 20 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Dart showed off his running ability with 614 rushing yards, which was the most of his career.
In 2023, Dart ran less but improved his completion percentage and cut down on turnovers. He threw for over 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns with only five interceptions. Dart saved his best season for his last. He improved his completion percentage to 69% and threw for 4,279 yards. He continued to keep his TD/Int ratio low and improve yards per attempt along with his QB rating. In 2024, Dart had eight games where he threw for 300 yards or more.
Strengths
- Ability to throw on the run
- Mobility to make plays with feet
- Strong arm. Can make all the throws
- Quick release. Throws with anticipation
- Stands in pocket and takes hits
Weaknesses
- Bad decisions when under pressure
- Offense dependent on RPO action
- Inconsistent footwork. Causes inaccuracy at times
- Gunslinger mentality. Throws ball up for grabs at times
Draft Value
Courtesy of NFL Mock Draft Database.
Quarterbacks are always needed in the NFL – last year six went in the first round. This year the talent is not thought of as highly, so it will be interesting how many go in the first round. Right now, Dart is projected to be a third-rounder in the draft but I think he should go in the second round.
There are questions about how Dart will transition from the Lane Kiffin quarterback-friendly spread offense to the NFL. Matt Corral came from the same offense and went in the third round, but Dart is a better prospect. He will have the chance to impress scouts at the Senior Bowl to alleviate some of those concerns. Only five percent of mock drafts have Dart in the first round. I think that may be low because the first round should have three quarterbacks drafted and Dart could be the third one.
Dynasty Outlook
The quarterback class last year looks to be very good for the future. I am not so sure that there will be as many productive rookies out of this year’s class. Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders look to be the front runners, but will any other quarterback be drafted at the top of the first round? Usually, quarterbacks need at least to be drafted in the first two rounds of the draft to get a longer leash to have multiple years of starting.
There are a lot of things to like in Dart’s game. He improved every year in college and has all the tools a quarterback needs in the NFL. The main questions are about Dart fitting in the NFL because he used so much RPO at the college level at Ole Miss. He is best with quick decisions but does show the ability to make plays off-platform when there is pressure. Another positive is his running ability. He is not like Jayden Daniels, but I could see his ability to be that of Justin Herbert or Trevor Lawrence. Dart will be situation dependent but if he gets decent draft capital, I could see him being drafted in the back end of the first round of rookie drafts.
- 2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Jaxson Dart, QB Ole Miss - January 24, 2025
- 2025 Dynasty Rookie Early Look: Elic Ayomanor, WR Stanford - January 22, 2025
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Rankings: Cornerstone Report, Week 18 - January 10, 2025
