"Best deep ball passer in the class" - Ex-NFL QB makes feelings known about Jaxson Dart
Former NFL quarterback and now NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky has high praise for Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart heading into the 2025 draft.
Dart has risen up the draft boards in the lead-up to April's grand event, and many now expect him to be selected in the first round. Not only do some analysts expect him to be in the first round, but Orlovsky is ultra-impressed with Dart's arm and his deep ball.
"Best deep ball passer in the class. Could be @steelers future. A QB who makes everyone around em better…," Orlovsky wrote on X Wednesday.
It's high praise from Orlovsky, who believes Dart makes everyone around them better and can be a franchise quarterback in the NFL. His prediction of being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers also makes sense after the Steelers saw Justin Fields sign with the New York Jets and Russell Wilson go to the New York Giants, so Pittsburgh needs a quarterback.
Dart went 276-for-398 for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions at Ole Miss last season. In his college career, Dart threw for 11,970 yards, 81 touchdowns and 27 interceptions in four years.
Lane Kiffin believes Jaxson Dart will thrive in NFL
Jaxson Dart's college coach, Lane Kiffin, believes his former quarterback will have a ton of success in the NFL.
Kiffin knows what Dart is like in the facility and believes his mindset as well as his arm ability will lead him to having a ton of success in the pro game.
“Yeah I think a lot of times in the NFL there’s so much longer verbiage and terminology, which create over time a shortened-down (version) so we can play faster,” Kiffin said during the Senior Bowl, via On3. “But he still has a lot of the concepts, a lot of the knowledge for it. And he can adapt to anything, so he’ll be awesome.”
As Kiffin says, Dart already understands the NFL verbiage of playing calls and had success doing it at Ole Miss, which gives the coach the hope that his pupil will succeed in the NFL.
Dart is currently ranked as ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.'s 18th-ranked player and third-ranked quarterback heading into the 2025 NFL draft.