Jaxson Dart began his collegiate career at USC before rewriting the record books at Ole Miss. From the second he transferred; it was clear that he was evolving before our eyes. Now, the former Ole Miss gunslinger hopes to carry his college success to the next level.
Height: 6 ft – 2 in
Weight: 226 lb
Age: 21
Position: Quarterback
College: Ole Miss
College Career Summary:
Jaxson Dart began his career at USC, but he didn’t see much playing time due to being a backup. He appeared in six games and eventually started three of them, though he went 0-3 in those contests. Later, he wound up transferring to Ole Miss, where he eventually became the starter under head coach Lane Kiffin. That combination was a perfect match, and in his first year, Dart went 7-5 on the season with just under 3,000 passing yards. All of his numbers were an improvement over the previous season. Heading into 2023, Dart wanted to up the ante even further, so he helped his squad go 11-2, with all of his numbers improving once again, outside of his rushing statistics (but he still had seven more touchdowns than the earlier year). And most recently, in 2024, he played all 13 games and went 10-3, for the fourth straight year improving every single category of his numbers besides rushing. We’ve seen him continue to improve each year, and it’s exciting to think about how much further his development can go. In each season, he completed more passes, threw for more yards, had a higher completion percentage, averaged more yards per throw, and threw more touchdowns than the year prior. It isn’t easy to pile up numbers like that and grow so routinely.
2024 Season
Games Played: 13
Yards: 4,279 passing, 495 rushing
Touchdowns: 29 passing, three rushing
Career Stats:
- 41 games started
- 11,970 passing yards
- 95 total touchdowns
- 393 rush attempts
- 1,307 pass attempts
Passing/Rushing/Receiving/Defensive Metrics:
- 9 yards per carry throughout his career
- 2 yards per completion throughout his career
- Over 20 passing touchdowns in each of the last three seasons
- 27 interceptions across his career
Strengths:
- Excellent touch on intermediate passes
- Has no problem improvising when plays break down
- Displays strong pocket toughness, willing to take hits
- Excels in up-tempo situations
- Natural leader who can make offense easier for the rest of the team
- Solid speed that can be used in designed runs, forcing the defense to react
Weaknesses:
- Deep accuracy isn’t where it needs to be
- Can exit the pocket prematurely if he doesn’t trust protection
- Noticeable difference in play against elite defenses in passing situations
- Struggles to consistently manipulate defenses with his eyes
High Pressure Situations/Clutch Gene:
From what we were able to see throughout his time at Ole Miss, Jaxson Dart made things a lot easier for his offense when the game was getting down to the final few minutes. His natural leadership and ability to lead their offense really shined through in those up-tempo situations, and it showed that he can rise to the occasion even if the clock is winding down. However, it should also be noted that he struggled against elite defenses on numerous occasions. This isn’t unusual, these defenses are elite after all, it just raises the question of whether or not he’ll be able to handle the competition at the NFL level. In the TAXSLAYER Gator Bowl this year, Dart and Ole Miss blew out Duke by a score of 52-20, with him throwing for over 400 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Last year, against Penn State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, he had one of his most impressive outings, beating them by a score of 38-25. He threw for 379 yards, three touchdowns (four including a rushing touchdown), and no interceptions. We’ve seen him rise to the occasion but also fall short of expectations. Against Alabama in that same year, he lost 24-10 and threw for only 244 yards without a passing touchdown and an interception. A few weeks later, he lost 52-17 against Georgia while completing only 10 passes for 112 yards and an interception. Both of those performances aren’t ideal against top-tier competition with high pressure, but two strong bowl performances could prove that he’s got some clutch ability in him.
NFL Projection And Fantasy Relevance:
Jaxson Dart is in a tricky situation when it comes to his NFL projection. This year’s quarterback class isn’t very strong, with both Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward being ranked well above the rest of the class. Those two are expected to go rather early in the first round, which leaves the rest of the signal callers in murky waters. This includes Dart, who could find himself slipping out of the first round entirely if things don’t go his way. Luckily, many scouts have him being a first-round pick, with certain competitive teams hoping to draft their quarterback of the future later. This includes a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, if he ends up going to a competitive team like Pittsburgh, he wouldn’t have immediate fantasy relevancy. He would likely need a year before getting the full go-ahead from the coaching staff, so patience might be required there. However, if he lands on a quarterback-needy team like the New Orleans Saints, then there’s potential he will start straight away. I like his skills from a fantasy football perspective, but right now his value ranges from a first-round draft pick to a third rounder. And with all these scouts seemingly confused about quarterback value this year, Dart might be hard to gauge right now.
I like Jaxson Dart and the skills that he can bring to the table. I don’t think he is as talented as either Sanders or Ward, though I do believe he’s likely the third-best quarterback of the draft class. It makes more sense to me that he’ll either land with the Steelers towards the end of the first round or get drafted rather early in the second round by a team like the Saints or the New York Giants if they don’t draft a quarterback in the first. He’s got a lot of experience leading an offense, can run the ball effectively, is comfortable in up-tempo situations, and has solid improvisational skills, which might be needed on a struggling team. I don’t anticipate Dart to be the next Jayden Daniels in his rookie season, but I do believe he’ll earn aa starting role at some point in his rookie campaign.