Welcome to another scouting report to prep you for the 2025 NFL Draft. I suggest saving these links, bookmarking them, etc., throughout this process. I will be updating as many as I can from the time I publish these to the time they take part in the Scouting Combine and pro days.
The Steelers need to address quarterback, one way or another. This isn't the strongest class of quarterbacks, but that doesn't mean the team shouldn't take a chance at some point in the draft. Jaxson Dart is quickly surging up boards among draft evaluators, but does that mean the Steelers should consider him if he's available at 21st overall?
JAXSON DART
• Position: Quarterback • College: Ole Miss (2022-24), USC (2021), • Class: Senior • Height: 6-2 • Weight: 223 • Hand: 9 1/2" • 40-yard dash: N/A • PFF Big Board: No. 129 • Games watched: vs. Kentucky, at Arkansas, vs. Georgia, at Florida, vs. Duke (Gator Bowl)
NFL comparison: Kenny Pickett (with a better arm)
OVERVIEW
After transferring from USC, Dart became a three-year starter with the Rebels. He improved year after year, culminating in an impressive senior season. He led the SEC with a 69.3 completion percentage and 4,279 passing yards, and he led all of the FBS with 10.8 yards per attempt and a 180.7 passer rating (college formula is different). He was named first-team All-SEC, won MVP of the Gator Bowl and wound up setting school records with 10,617 passing yards and 12,115 yards of total offense.
Dart is a very good athlete who can pick up yards when he needs to on the ground, including an ability to move the chains when necessary. He also has extensive experience with quarterback-designed runs in Lane Kiffin's system at Ole Miss. That being said, he shouldn't be labeled as a true dual-threat quarterback. His mobility gives him the ability of evading pressure, and he's made some dynamite throws when he's improvising. But, in overall consistency, I expected more creativity in those situations.
While Dart's arm is most likely considered average by NFL standards, he has the ability to throw from multiple arm angles and, as previously stated, can sometimes make outstanding throws on the run. I attribute this to his baseball background, in which he was a two-time all-state third baseman in high school. Dart throws a really good deep ball, and some of them are absolute dimes. Other times, his ball placement is lacking. Even so, it's a strength of his game.
Dart's accuracy is usually on point, and he has some very impressive touch on throws to the second and third levels, but most often when his mechanics are sound. His bottom half can sometimes be disconnected from his top half, and he also throws off his back foot far too often. While some of those throws led to completions in college, they won't work at the NFL level, especially if and when they lack anticipation. When he's in rhythm, he's usually very good at making his reads and executing accurate passes. When he's pressured or forced to create, his overall game takes a hit.
I try to not let the system dictate the quarterback. However, due to an unproven ability to make consistent throws or maintain sound mechanics under pressure, as well as slow processing after the first read, there's legitimate concern about his ceiling at the NFL level. A good amount of the throws he made that connected on the second or third levels against zone coverage were thrown late by NFL standards, but beat college opponents. It's that lack of anticipation, along with an inconsistent ability to get through his reads, get to check downs and a tendency to abandon clean pockets that have me concerned about any consideration in the first round.
The arm talent and athleticism is enticing. And if he's blessed with a system that focuses on possession and makes him more of a game manager, he stands a better chance to develop into a better quarterback. At Ole Miss, while Kiffin has some NFL concepts in his playbook, Dart was asked to execute a lot of first-read concepts. NFL defenses will force him to process things faster, and pro-style offenses will force Dart to make more full-field reads than he did in college. If he's asked to do too much too soon, it could derail his development.
While I wouldn't necessarily label Dart as a project, I have a hard time imagining him starting as a rookie. It'd be best for him to learn for a year as a backup. Ideally, he's a Day 2 pick, but a thin quarterback class could have a team get desperate enough to reach for him on Day 1 of the draft.
HIGHLIGHTS
PFF GRADES
• Overall grade: 92.5 (3rd of 306 QB) • Passing grade: 91.9 • Intermediate grade: 94.4 • Deep grade: 92.6 • No pressure grade: 93.4 • Pressure grade: 69.0
STRENGTHS
• When he takes the time to go through his reads and trust his protection, he's capable of making just about any NFL throw.
• Plays with a ton of confidence, which helps him stay poised from snap to whistle, regardless of whether or not he plays in or out of structure. He really seems to be a natural-born leader.
• Arm strength is average, but can make some outstanding throws downfield. Specifically, his touch on intermediate passes and placement on back-shoulder throws jumped off the tape.
• While he's not a true dual-threat quarterback, he's very athletic and can pick up back-breaking yards on the ground. His scrambling ability helps him evade pressure. He's very light on his feet, aiding in quick change of direction when scrambling.
• Extensive experience in running RPOs in Ole Miss' system.
• Throws in an occasional quick release that helps him hit short throws in tight windows.
• His game really elevates on possession downs. Not afraid of the big moments.
WEAKNESSES
• Forces throws to his first read far too often. Doesn't go through his reads quickly enough, and can abandon clean pockets. That leads to missing open check downs or hot reads.
• Footwork needs refinement. He can also get far too comfortable throwing off his back foot. All of this leads to relying too much on his arm and hurts his accuracy.
• Anticipation needs drastic improvement, especially against zone coverages. Completed a lot of passes downfield that were thrown too late by NFL standards.
• Was the beneficiary of completing a lot of shorter passes to receivers with a lot of open space due to the wide hashes in the college game, as well as the overall quality of the defenses he faced (really stood out in a slaughtering of Arkansas). When he faced higher-quality defenses (Georgia, for example), his efficiency dipped.
• Consistency in ball placement on throws downfield needs improvement.
• While he's sometimes stood tall and made throws from the pocket before taking a hit, his eyes generally drop too quickly when facing pressure.
THE ASYLUM
Scouting report: Jaxson Dart
Welcome to another scouting report to prep you for the 2025 NFL Draft. I suggest saving these links, bookmarking them, etc., throughout this process. I will be updating as many as I can from the time I publish these to the time they take part in the Scouting Combine and pro days.
The Steelers need to address quarterback, one way or another. This isn't the strongest class of quarterbacks, but that doesn't mean the team shouldn't take a chance at some point in the draft. Jaxson Dart is quickly surging up boards among draft evaluators, but does that mean the Steelers should consider him if he's available at 21st overall?
JAXSON DART
• Position: Quarterback
• College: Ole Miss (2022-24), USC (2021),
• Class: Senior
• Height: 6-2
• Weight: 223
• Hand: 9 1/2"
• 40-yard dash: N/A
• PFF Big Board: No. 129
• Games watched: vs. Kentucky, at Arkansas, vs. Georgia, at Florida, vs. Duke (Gator Bowl)
NFL comparison: Kenny Pickett (with a better arm)
OVERVIEW
After transferring from USC, Dart became a three-year starter with the Rebels. He improved year after year, culminating in an impressive senior season. He led the SEC with a 69.3 completion percentage and 4,279 passing yards, and he led all of the FBS with 10.8 yards per attempt and a 180.7 passer rating (college formula is different). He was named first-team All-SEC, won MVP of the Gator Bowl and wound up setting school records with 10,617 passing yards and 12,115 yards of total offense.
Dart is a very good athlete who can pick up yards when he needs to on the ground, including an ability to move the chains when necessary. He also has extensive experience with quarterback-designed runs in Lane Kiffin's system at Ole Miss. That being said, he shouldn't be labeled as a true dual-threat quarterback. His mobility gives him the ability of evading pressure, and he's made some dynamite throws when he's improvising. But, in overall consistency, I expected more creativity in those situations.
While Dart's arm is most likely considered average by NFL standards, he has the ability to throw from multiple arm angles and, as previously stated, can sometimes make outstanding throws on the run. I attribute this to his baseball background, in which he was a two-time all-state third baseman in high school. Dart throws a really good deep ball, and some of them are absolute dimes. Other times, his ball placement is lacking. Even so, it's a strength of his game.
Dart's accuracy is usually on point, and he has some very impressive touch on throws to the second and third levels, but most often when his mechanics are sound. His bottom half can sometimes be disconnected from his top half, and he also throws off his back foot far too often. While some of those throws led to completions in college, they won't work at the NFL level, especially if and when they lack anticipation. When he's in rhythm, he's usually very good at making his reads and executing accurate passes. When he's pressured or forced to create, his overall game takes a hit.
I try to not let the system dictate the quarterback. However, due to an unproven ability to make consistent throws or maintain sound mechanics under pressure, as well as slow processing after the first read, there's legitimate concern about his ceiling at the NFL level. A good amount of the throws he made that connected on the second or third levels against zone coverage were thrown late by NFL standards, but beat college opponents. It's that lack of anticipation, along with an inconsistent ability to get through his reads, get to check downs and a tendency to abandon clean pockets that have me concerned about any consideration in the first round.
The arm talent and athleticism is enticing. And if he's blessed with a system that focuses on possession and makes him more of a game manager, he stands a better chance to develop into a better quarterback. At Ole Miss, while Kiffin has some NFL concepts in his playbook, Dart was asked to execute a lot of first-read concepts. NFL defenses will force him to process things faster, and pro-style offenses will force Dart to make more full-field reads than he did in college. If he's asked to do too much too soon, it could derail his development.
While I wouldn't necessarily label Dart as a project, I have a hard time imagining him starting as a rookie. It'd be best for him to learn for a year as a backup. Ideally, he's a Day 2 pick, but a thin quarterback class could have a team get desperate enough to reach for him on Day 1 of the draft.
HIGHLIGHTS
PFF GRADES
• Overall grade: 92.5 (3rd of 306 QB)
• Passing grade: 91.9
• Intermediate grade: 94.4
• Deep grade: 92.6
• No pressure grade: 93.4
• Pressure grade: 69.0
STRENGTHS
• When he takes the time to go through his reads and trust his protection, he's capable of making just about any NFL throw.
• Plays with a ton of confidence, which helps him stay poised from snap to whistle, regardless of whether or not he plays in or out of structure. He really seems to be a natural-born leader.
• Arm strength is average, but can make some outstanding throws downfield. Specifically, his touch on intermediate passes and placement on back-shoulder throws jumped off the tape.
• While he's not a true dual-threat quarterback, he's very athletic and can pick up back-breaking yards on the ground. His scrambling ability helps him evade pressure. He's very light on his feet, aiding in quick change of direction when scrambling.
• Extensive experience in running RPOs in Ole Miss' system.
• Throws in an occasional quick release that helps him hit short throws in tight windows.
• His game really elevates on possession downs. Not afraid of the big moments.
WEAKNESSES
• Forces throws to his first read far too often. Doesn't go through his reads quickly enough, and can abandon clean pockets. That leads to missing open check downs or hot reads.
• Footwork needs refinement. He can also get far too comfortable throwing off his back foot. All of this leads to relying too much on his arm and hurts his accuracy.
• Anticipation needs drastic improvement, especially against zone coverages. Completed a lot of passes downfield that were thrown too late by NFL standards.
• Was the beneficiary of completing a lot of shorter passes to receivers with a lot of open space due to the wide hashes in the college game, as well as the overall quality of the defenses he faced (really stood out in a slaughtering of Arkansas). When he faced higher-quality defenses (Georgia, for example), his efficiency dipped.
• Consistency in ball placement on throws downfield needs improvement.
• While he's sometimes stood tall and made throws from the pocket before taking a hit, his eyes generally drop too quickly when facing pressure.
• Virtually no experience operating under center.
Other full scouting reports:
• Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State
• Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
• Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama
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