Jets Predicted To Land 4,279-Yard Passer In Major NFL Draft Surprise

How would Jets fans feel about reaching for a quarterback?

Oct 6, 2024; Tottenham, ENG; New York Jets helmets are held by staff before the match against Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images | Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images

"With the seventh pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the New York Jets select..."

Jets fans are deeply curious to hear the two words uttered by the commissioner after that opening phrase in April. The 2025 season is effectively still a blank canvas, and New York can set the tone for the next few years with a good draft.

Having already signed four-year veteran quarterback Justin Fields, the Jets don't need to be locked in on a quarterback with their first-round selection. They'd have to be sure, if they were to draft someone to compete with Fields, that they thought that player was legitimately their future at the position.

It's not regarded as a great quarterback class, and the Jets won't likely get to pick one of the first two names off the board without trading up in the order. But one NFL analyst still sees New York liking this draft's QB3 enough to reach for him.

On Friday, NFL.com's Chad Reuter predicted that the Jets would select Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart with the seventh-overall pick, taking a major gamble on a passer who many do not see as a top-10 talent.

"Justin Fields could join Sam Bradford (Philadelphia, 2016), Mike Glennon (Chicago, 2017), Andy Dalton( Chicago, 2021), Mitch Trubisky (Pittsburgh, 2022) and Kirk Cousins (Atlanta, 2024) as veteran quarterbacks signed to be QB1 until the team selected a passer in the first round," Reuter wrote.

"In this simulation, the Jets appreciate Dart's physical traits and work ethic, hoping that he or Fields will step up in a leadership role during 2025 and end the league's longest playoff drought."

Dart, 22, passed for 4,279 yards at Ole Miss this past season, with 29 touchdowns to only six interceptions. He's a good athlete, but doesn't quite have the cannon for an arm that a team might like from a top-10 pick, especially one who hasn't run a pro-style offense.

Selecting Dart would likely be met with some trepidation from Jets fans. But if it works out in the end, no fan base would be happier to eat crow in exchange for finally having a franchise QB.

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