Ole Miss has a storied lineage of quarterbacks to walk through Oxford. The legendary Archie Manning once donned the iconic red and navy jersey. He went No. 2 overall in the ‘71 NFL Draft. Later, this lineage passed on to his youngest son. Eli Manning’s tenure with the Rebels was a resounding success, too, before going no. 1 overall in ‘04. Over two decades later, a very worthy successor laid claim to this QB throne down in Mississippi. Jaxson Dart is, statistically, the most successful quarterback in Ole Miss history. In fact, he overtook the yards record from Eli himself. Yet, Dart isn’t quite viewed in the same upper echelons from an NFL Draft lens as his predecessors.
When their future SEC contemporaries, Oklahoma, lost coach Lincoln Riley to USC in 2021, it was a double blessing for Ole Miss. Not only did it affect a competitor, but it also led to the dominoes falling for Jaxson Dart’s arrival in Mississippi. Dart was a revelation for the Rebels. The former Gatorade player of the year progressively got better each year. Last season, he even found himself on the periphery of the Heisman discussion. Playing under offensive-minded HC Lane Kiffin elevated Dart’s game. But it came at a cost pertaining to his future in the pros.
The consensus on Jaxson Dart is that he’s a bit of a punt. Someone not being viewed as a home-run pick by any stretch of the imagination. While much of Dart’s draft grade is down to his perceived talent and attributes, one reason is out of his control. Lane Kiffin’s history of developing NFL-caliber quarterbacks is a potential hindrance. Kiffin-developed QBs historically don’t translate well in the NFL. Largely because of his RPO, or Run, Pass, Option heavy offensive scheming. Sure, it works brilliantly on the collegiate level. But the D-coordinators in the NFL are a notch above at cracking it since it’s somewhat simplistic. Matt Corral springs to mind as an example. Players get comfortable in the system and can’t quite snap out. Even with all that baked in, two plugged-in draft analysts predict Dart to be a lottery pick in round 1.
The supply isn’t meeting demand with this year’s quarterback class. There’s plenty of quantity but not as much quality. At least relative to 2024, which saw 6 QBs go in the top 12. This time around, Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders have separated themselves into a pseudo Tier 1. Then, there’s a gulf in stock before the likes of Jaxson Dart come in. However, there are more than 2 teams that need a QB. As a result, the New Orleans Saints are being tipped to draft Dart with the #9 overall pick. Even if the film says he’s a Day 2 pick, the Saints may not have either Tier 1 guys left on the board by the time they’re on the clock. Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, who worked together in the past, concur that Dart to NOLA is a real possibility.
Kiper’s latest mock draft post the very informative wave of free agency has Dart slated to go to the Saints. Todd McShay was initially startled by this projection when he alluded to it over his namesake YouTube channel. However, he came to terms with it after realizing how the draft is shaping up in proximity, before and after that #9 pick. McShay explicitly said he believes the Saints could either draft Jaxson Dart or trade backward. Which makes sense, given there’s no real need to pick him that high. None of the teams picking after the Saints have a real need at QB. So why not pick him a little later while also collecting additional picks? But there’s a problem that McShay found with this scenario.
“Trade [down] or draft Jaxson Dart are kind of the first two things that came to mind. But then it was like, All right. What’s the reality?. No one’s trying to trade up. No one’s trying to trade up,” remarked McShay. This implies that since no one wants to trade up in the first round—given the depth across positions other than QB—the Saints won’t be able to find a buyer for their #9 pick. Meaning if they really do want Dart, they’d just have to take him at that number anyway. Regardless of whether it represents good value. In a convoluted way, Dart’s reaping the rewards. However, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. One of the two aforementioned QBs has expressed a “dream” to play for the Saints. Opening the door for them to be the ones to trade up.
Cam Ward potentially rains on Jaxson Dart’s Mardi Gras parade
The New Orleans Saints have been searching for a messiah figure for a hot minute. Ever since Drew Brees left, the franchise has been in a state of flux. They thought they were onto something after how Derek Carr began last season. The Saints were blowing teams out left and right. The bubble burst, though, and their sad, recent reality crept up once again. Carr remains on the roster, and will maybe even remain QB1 if they draft Jaxson Dart and decide he needs to learn behind a vet. But Derek Carr is a shell of the player he once was. If there was ever a messiah QB in this draft, it’d have to be Cam Ward. Someone who almost single-handedly took the middling Miami program into the playoffs in his one year there.
Earlier this week, Cam Ward was asked about his opinions on the Saints hypothetically trading for the Titans’ No. 1 overall pick. Which is where Ward’s being projected to go by most draftniks and experts. “I loved watching Drew Brees and [Marques Colston] out there…It would be a dream of mine to play for them if I get a chance someday. But that’s not really my focus right now,” said Ward. Who has had some bumps along this draft process himself.
The draft capital the Saints will have to part with in order to trade with the Titans will be monstrous. Unless they really, really like what Cam Ward’s put on tape. It almost would make more sense to go down the Jaxson Dart route instead. With D-day only a little over a month ago, the picture is clearing up and becoming more fuzzy simultaneously. Good old draft season.
The post Jaxson Dart’s NFL Fate All But Confirmed as $4.4B Franchise’s Draft Plans Revealed Amid 4,313-Yard QB’s Strong Interest appeared first on EssentiallySports.