Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart's 2025 NFL Draft hype just broke through a new barrier based on latest expert mock drafts
Jaxson Dart has quickly become the most polarizing prospect in the entire 2025 NFL Draft. Over the last month Dart has seen his stock rise from a "potential" day two selection to being mentioned as a possibility for the Raiders at pick six overall (via ESPN's Mel Kiper). However, many still doubt that Dart truly […]
Jaxson Dart has quickly become the most polarizing prospect in the entire 2025 NFL Draft. Over the last month Dart has seen his stock rise from a "potential" day two selection to being mentioned as a possibility for the Raiders at pick six overall (via ESPN's Mel Kiper). However, many still doubt that Dart truly fits the bill as a successful NFL quarterback.
And yet, Jaxson Dart has just broken through another barrier that he has hasn't crossed since prior to last season. According to both A to Z Sports and NFL Mock Draft Database average draft position data Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart has broken through into the Top 40 projected picks in the 2025 NFL Draft. That is higher than he's been considered since at least late October, if not August (as you can see in the graphic below).
This places Dart still far below Cam Ward (QB, Miami) and Shedeur Sanders (QB, Colorado), but just ahead of Jalen Milroe (QB, Alabama) in the QB3 slot via consensus mock draft data.
Momentum is clearly picking back up for Jaxson Dart, especially since his Senior Bowl week where he was clearly the best quarterback of the bunch. Mock drafts everywhere are placing him safely inside day two, if not as early as round one, and it's not baseless buzz.
A to Z Sports has confirmed with multiple scouts from a number of NFL teams that Jaxson Dart ranks as high as QB2 on at least a handful of boards around the league. After talking with many others at the Senior Bowl and around the NFL Draft community it's still unclear where Dart will be selected, but even national experts like Dan Orlovsky of ESPN are catching up given his recent post: "Jaxson Dart is going in round 1."
What changed to make this significant leap in perceived draft projection for Jaxson Dart?
Was it his phenomenal 400+ yard Gator Bowl performance against a Top 15 defenese? Was he extremely impressive in interviews and on the field at the Senior Bowl? Probably a little bit of both. What's likely happened that most significantly boosted Dart's stock is that teams have simply finally pulled together a look at his career in its amazing entirety.
Dart started more than 40 games throughout his career at both USC and Ole Miss, playing each and every year he was in college. He posted back to back seasons with a Pro Football Focus grade above 90 (most first round QBs can't even boast this). Across Dart's final two seasons he finished ranked top ten among all FBS quarterbacks in virtually every meaningful efficiency measure.
On top of all that, Dart finished his final 2024 campaign ranked first in yards per play, first in total yards per game, first in adjusted yards per pass attempt, second in passer rating, fourth in QBR, and fourth in EPA per play among all FBS quarterbacks. Just ridiculously impressive.
Yes, Jaxson Dart still very well might not be drafted as highly as recent hype might suggest. Yes, you will hear plenty of folks complain about how Lane Kiffin and his offensive system helped Dart's numbers out (even though that is wildly overblown). And yes, Dart doesn't have typical early first round physical traits. However, it's still intriguing to see that he continues cracking new barriers in large sample draft projections. And unless something drastically changes, this buzz likely only continues to build.
We'll be back with more Ole Miss coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to reflect on the special season that was Jaxson Dart's senior year with Ole Miss you can check out some of his highlights in the video below!
