New York Giants Draft Prospect Profile: QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss

Many draft analysts believe Jaxson Dart has surpassed Colorado's Shedeur Sanders as the second-best quarterback prospect in this draft class.

Jaxson Dart QB

Height: 6’2”
Weight: 223 lbs
Class: Senior
School: Ole Miss
Hand size: 9 ½”
Arm length: 30”
STATS

A former four-star recruit out of Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah, where he was the 13th quarterback and the second player from the state of Utah in the 2021 recruiting cycle (105th overall). Dart initially attended USC and transferred after the 2021 season to Ole Miss.

He was a four-star recruit in the transfer portal – the third quarterback and the seventh overall-ranked player. In addition to football, Dart was a two-time all-state third baseman in college.

Dart transferred away from USC after the hiring of Lincoln Riley and the rumors of Caleb Williams’ transfer, which transpired. Dart then started 12 of 13 games in 2022 for the Rebels and did not look back.

Dart averaged 9.1 yards per attempt with a 10.9-yard aDOT and a 15.1% pressure-to-sack ratio in Lane Kiffin’s high-powered – high tempo – RPO-spread offense.

Dart earned the Conerly Trophy in 2024 and a First-Team All-SEC honor; the latter trophy is bestowed to the best college football player in the state of Mississippi.

Dart had a 7.1% Big-Time-Throw-Rate in 2024 with just a 2.2% Turnover-Worthy-Play-Rate. Those numbers across his college career were 6.0% for BTT and 2.7% for TWP%, according to Pro Football Focus.

Dart did well against the blitz in 2024, throwing 12 touchdowns with just two interceptions; he completed 66.2% of his passes against the blitz and had an 8.4% Big-Time-Throw-Rate.

Strengths

Slightly shorter but sufficient with solid thickness
Good athlete with above-average mobility
Light, quick feet on drop back – solid footwork
Poised under pressure – will take big hit
Good overall feel in the pocket on when to run, slide, step up, or bail
Controlled and balanced mover with above-average ability to throw on the move
Quickly identified the structure of the defense and found the offense’s answer
Was able to quickly find answers pre-to-post snap in Kiffin’s system
Excellent decision-making in his offense
Good overall arm talent with solid arm strength and velocity
Solid enough arm talent to throw off-platform
Has enough arm strength to rip far-hash throws
Good overall accuracy in the short, intermediate, and deep parts of the field
Pin-point timing on back shoulder fade routes
Very good processing on when to throw with anticipation
Can change arm-angle to throw threw the forest
Understands touch & pacing – has varying speeds on his passes
Can layer footballs over the middle of the field
Throws receivers open – leads his receivers to maximize YAC
Good distributor of the football at every level of the field
Excellent ability to operate out of the RPO
Good footwork/patience into the mesh point – puts LBs into conflict
Reads and is decisive with the ball on RPO and other packaged plays
Effective runner of the football
Has good overall vision when taking off
Is not afraid to lower his shoulder – good play strength and toughness
Excellent gamer – several big plays in key moments through 2024
Plays with a chip on his shoulder

WATCH: Jaxson Dart’s throwing session highlights Ole Miss Pro Day https://t.co/lJY1Ev1T7E pic.twitter.com/mVyXGcjpQF
— OMSpiritOn3 (@OMSpiritOn3) March 29, 2025

Weaknesses

Good but not excellent athlete – won’t be a calling card of his at the next level
Played in a simplified Lane Kiffin RPO-system
Shot-gun exclusive offense
Was not pressured much in Kiffin’s system – QB QB-friendly system
May need to be more crisp and precise with his feet in certain systems
Transition to NFL speed & space may be too much
Good overall accuracy but will miss some throws that are frustrating
Questions about processing in the NFL are fair
Questionable decision-making when pressure gets home

Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart speaks to the media at the 2025 NFL combine. | Clark Wade/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Summary

Jaxson Dart is an intriguing college quarterback who operated Lane Kiffin’s fast-paced RPO-Spread system efficiently while leveraging his good overall arm talent to challenge defenses downfield.

One of the most controversial parts of Dart’s evaluation is the transition from Kiffin’s offense – which provided isolated QB-friendly reads and packaged RPO plays – to the NFL, where space is limited and the defensive athletes move much faster.

Coaches and people with access to Dart may be able to discern his quarterbacking knowledge beyond Kiffin’s scheme, but it remains a bit nebulous to outsiders. With that stated, there are reasons to believe Dart projects well to the next level.

Dart has good overall arm talent, and he CAN push the ball vertically with above-average accuracy. I wouldn’t say Dart has elite arm talent or the biggest arm in the world, but it’s sufficient for the NFL game; he has enough arm strength to access every part of the football field.

He is willing to stand tall in the pocket and deliver through contact; he is a tough guy. He’s enough of an athlete to escape muddy pockets at the next level; I would say slightly worse than Bo Nix from last year’s draft, who just rushed for 430 yards in his rookie season.

Overall, Dart is about to experience an entirely different – and possibly more challenging – way of playing quarterback, for the NFL is not conducive to the style he thrived within over the last three seasons.

Dart was obviously comfortable in Kiffin’s scheme – that’s a good thing! Still, the conjecture about his transition may be detectable in a meeting room or during a workout, but the true nature of that transition may not be ascertained until semi-live reps (training camp).

I am also slightly concerned about Dart’s decision-making under pressure, which he should see much more of in the NFL. Nevertheless, Dart is a solid prospect to bank on for development due to his projectable traits.

GRADE: 6.20

Nick Falato's Draft Grade Chart | Nick Falato

Jaxson Dart QB

Strengths

Weaknesses

Summary

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