Scouting Profile: Jaxson Dart - QB - Ole Miss
Sales Pitch: Tough experienced quarterback with an above average skill set. Will require some molding to transition from a gimmicky college offense, but has starter quality upside.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
Scouting Report
Jaxson Dart is a former 4-Star recruit from Utah, where he was the 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year, in addition to being an All-State baseball player. He started 3 games during his freshman year at USC before transferring to Ole Miss. Dart started over 30 games for the Rebels, leaving the program as the all-time leader in Wins and Total Offense.
Dart is a plus athlete with an NFL ready frame that carries 223 pounds very well. He is a tough experienced player who has shown the ability to keep getting back up and leading an offense after being knocked down. Dart is at his best when operating early in the shot clock while in rhythm. He is adept at identifying and targeting pre-snap mismatches, particularly against man coverage. He is quick to work through his primary and secondary reads to find the ideal target. Dart shows solid accuracy to all three levels of the field when working outside the numbers. He has the touch to vary the height and velocity of his ball to get it over lurking defenders. Dart’s baseball background is apparent in his arm talent. He has a flexibility shoulder and hips to make off-platform throws and deliver with velocity on the run. His quick compact shortstop style release gets the ball out on time to drive it to the sideline. Dart is a good enough athlete to escape the pocket and extend the play, where he is a good decision maker. He has the frame and instincts as a ball carrier to be used on designed runs as well.
Dart has a well-rounded physical profile but doesn’t have an elite trait. His athletic ability and arm talent are good not great and his height borders on acceptable for the position. The biggest question mark for Dart, is his transition from Ole Miss’s offense. The Rebels passing attack was heavily predicated on pre-snap reads built off of RPOs. Dart was rarely asked to operate as a true drop back passer, and mostly targeted hitches, slants, screens and go’s during his collegiate career. Dart’s ability to work through and quick process full field reads quickly is lacking at this point in his career. He doesn’t throw with anticipation and is often afraid to pull the trigger into tight windows over the middle of the field. His overall decision making and mechanics unravel as the play goes on as pressure closes in. Dart prefers to retreat in the pocket as opposed to climbing and short arms throws when off his backfoot. He is quick to drop his eyes and run when the pocket becomes tight and his initial read isn’t open. When faced with quick pressure Dart either bails to scramble or forces the ball to his pre-snap read regardless of the post-snap coverage. For a player with tools that are closer to solid than great, Dart will have to improve his processing, particularly under pressure if he wants to stick as a starter at the next level.
Dart’s ideal offense is a passing attack that uses play-action to attack outside the numbers to the 1st and 3rd levels of the field. While he requires some work to transition from Ole Miss's offense to the next level, his above average tools make him worth of a Day-2 flier. Dart projects to be pushing the back end of the first round due to the nature of his position and a weak class, but needs a year or two before being thrust into starter duties.