Mel Kiper Jr.’s New NFL Mock Draft Has 'Surprise Pick' QB Jaxson Dart Going in Top 10

Andy Nesbitt | Mar 18, 2025

Mississippi Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart warms up before the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Mel Kiper Jr. is back with his latest NFL mock draft and the legendary analyst has some big picks at the top of the board, with quarterbacks Cam Ward going No. 1 to the Tennessee Titans and Shedeur Sanders going No. 3 to the New York Giants.

Kiper also has another quarterback going in the top 10, which he called his "surprise pick" while breaking down why he thinks it will happen.

That QB? Former Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dark, who Kiper sees going to the New Orleans Saints with the No. 9 pick in the draft.

Here's his analysis of the selection:

OK, here's the surprise pick. And I know the Saints just restructured Derek Carr's contract to tie him to the team for at least one more season. But what happens after that season? New coach Kellen Moore might want a young quarterback to work with and develop over the course of 2025 before turning the offense over to him in 2026. I'm hearing more and more first-round buzz on Dart, and New Orleans seems like a good fit. He wouldn't be forced to play right away and could learn behind Carr. This team still has a lot of roster-building decisions to make, but getting the QB of the future now does make some sense.

Dart was very accurate in Lane Kiffin's run-pass option offense at Ole Miss, and he can cause headaches for opposing defensive coordinators with his ability to tuck and run. Dart threw for 4,279 yards and rushed for 655 more last season.

That would be quite a move for the Saints, but Kiper's reasoning does make a lot of sense. Dart played at Ole Miss for three years after spending one season at USC. Last year he threw for 4,279 yards with 29 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

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