Silver And Black Pride
What could the Ole Miss product bring to Las Vegas?
We’re working our way through the quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft, focusing on the competitive QB3 battle that the Las Vegas Raiders figure to be in the thick of. One contender is Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, who will also be participating in next week’s Senior Bowl.
Dart put up impressive numbers for the Rebels last season, leading the SEC in completion percentage (69.3 percent) and passing yards (4,279) while tossing 29 touchdowns. What stands out about the completion rate is he also pushed the ball down the field, topping the nation with 10.8 yards per attempt, per Sports Reference.
Diving into more advanced numbers, the Ole Miss product also led the conference with a 91.1 passing grade from Pro Football Focus and 29 “big-time throws” while ranking second with a 6.9 percent BTT rate. Among all FBS quarterbacks, those figures were second, fourth and ninth (minimum 129 dropbacks), respectively.
So, let’s flip on the tape and see what the 21-year-old (turns 22 in mid-May) could bring to the Raiders.
As the stats above suggest, Dart has good arm strength to push the ball down the field and throws with decent velocity to keep his passes on a line. Also, he can make throws from the far hash to outside the numbers and has solid accuracy in the vertical passing game.
From the clips above, the fourth one against Duke is the best example of what’s outlined above. The defense is in Cover 1, so Dart knows the slot receiver has a one-on-one matchup on the slot fade route. Once the wideout wins, he lets it rip and drops the ball right in the bucket across the field for a 21-yard touchdown.
Also, he stands in the pocket and takes a shot right after releasing the pass. More on that in the next section.
As previously referenced, another strength of Dart’s game is the ability to throw under pressure. He led SEC quarterbacks with a 64.8 PFF passing grade and a 9.0 percent BTT rate under pressure, and the latter was fifth-best within the Power Four conferences (minimum 83 such dropbacks).
This goes hand-in-hand with the Ole Miss product’s arm strength as he can take a hit and still push the ball down the field. While it was an incompletion, the first throw above against Wake Forest highlights that.
The Demon Deacons are in Cover 4 while the Rebels run a switch release with a post route that the top of the screen. So, Dart has a one-on-one matchup but it’s a longer developing play, meaning he must stay patient in the pocket and let the route concept develop.
The pressure eventually gets there, preventing the quarterback from finishing the throw, but he still manages to sling it down the field. Unfortunately, the defensive back makes a great play and the receiver loses the ball while going to the ground, so this all goes for naught on the stat...
