Jaxson Dart: Looks To Break "Lazy Narrative"

Jaxson Dart meets the media in Indy, answering a wide array of questions, including the stigma that Rebels signal-callers don't translate to the NFL.

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NFL COMBINE Q&A: JAXSON DART, QB, OLE MISS

Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart has generated some buzz as the potential QB3 in the Class of 2025. He took to the podium in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine to meet with the assembled media. Amongst topics discussed, include his relationship with Rebels legend Eli Manning, playing for head coach Lane Kiffin, the mentorship of assistant coach Joe Judge, plus why his intangibles separates him from the other signal-callers in this year’s draft. Dart was also directed a specific question pertaining to the success of Ole Miss quarterbacks as a whole and the stigma that they don’t succeed in the pros. He explains why that is a lazy narrative. Don’t forget to pre-order your copy of the Official 2025 NFL Draft Bible today and save! The Leading Authority on NFL Draft.

Did you meet with the Raiders?

Yeah, I'm really excited to meet with them this week. It was great to sit down with them, Coach Carroll and Chip. It was great, you know, Chip recruited me out of high school, so we kind of had a relationship from that early on. But, you know, they're an elite staff. I think that they're on a great track for a lot of this movement in the upcoming years. I also have, you know, one of my best friends from high school, JPJ, as an offensive lineman there. So, it's kind of been fun to talk with him and get his experience inside of things. But, you know, they're a great program, and they're definitely trending. Yeah, I've met with them a little bit this week.

What can we expect to see from your backup Austin Simmons next year?

Yeah, he's an elite talent. I haven't really seen anybody like him. He can really spin the ball. He's an awesome talent, so I'm really excited for him. He's going to take a huge step leadership-wise this year. I'm really excited for the team to grow. I think they're just going to pick up what we left off.

On the coaching he had at Ole Miss.

Yeah, I think I've just always been somebody that's been process-driven. I feel like I had a really good circle around me coaching-wise of guys who have really developed me. A lot of guys who have a ton of NFL experience, so they know what it looks like. That's been huge for me in my development.

What are you working on now as you transition to the NFL?

Just continuing to stack years, learn from experiences. Those times in the offseason where you get to look back and look at the things that you struggle with and really try to improve and make them something that's a strength of yours has been huge. Like I said, I had a great circle around me about development.

What was it like playing for Lane Kiffin?

Yeah, Coach Kiffin's great. Not only was he a great coach on the field but I can say he's one of my best friends on the field. I knew what I was going into with him. The quarterbacks that he's coached at a really high level. A lot of them had different skill-sets. Him being able to form an offense and build it around their strengths was something that was big for me going into it. He was great for my development.

There's this assumption that there's two quarterbacks at the top and then a second wave. Do you agree with that and do you think you can close that gap?

Look, there's a lot of people who say a lot of different things, so I'm not trying to tie my head into anything like that. I'm somebody that's process-driven. I just want to take it one day at a time. This has been a dream for me since I was a little kid to be in this position that I'm in today. I'm really just trying to improve. I know that if I control things that I can control, everything's going to play out the right way. I'm not even too nervous about that at all.

What can you tell us about JJ Pegues?

Yeah, JJ's an elite player. You see his versatility and how we used him on the field this year. You even saw him at the combine yesterday in testing, him being able to run some tight end and fullback drills, and catch the ball out the backfield. He's been an elite person in the organization that we have but at the same time on the field, you can trust him to do anything.

Did you meet with the Seahawks?

Seahawks, it's been great to build a relationship with them. They have an elite coaching staff. They have a ton of talent on their team, so it's been a lot of fun sitting and talking to them.

There's a narrative around this for a while that you can't translate to the next level because of this team [Ole Miss]. How do you plan to break that trend?

Well, I had a different offense coordinator. I have an elite coaching staff this year, they brought in coach Joe Judge who has won multiple Super Bowls, who's also an NFL head coach. So I feel like development-wise, conceptually I've ran every concept and I've had reps at it. They know what it looks like. Coach Kiff at one point was the youngest NFL head coach. I think that says something. Coach Weis, my offense coordinator, coached the NFL. His dad coached the NFL, won the Super Bowl. So they all know what it looks like and I feel like I was put in a great spot. I think that's kind of just a lazy narrative.

Who are some of your favorite NFL wide receivers?

Jeez, I mean there's so many. I think right now it's like Davante Adams, Jamarr Chase. I mean, I could go on and on. DK [Metcalf], AJ [Brown], there's just so many elite guys. I'm just excited to get that opportunity.

Having played for so many coordinators, do you feel that will help translate to the NFL?

Yeah, I think that me being able to overcome that really has taught myself a lot about what I'm about. I don't really care who I'm stepping into the room with. I'm going to go compete every single day. That's kind of been my mantra since I stepped into college. I've never sat on the bench before, so I've constantly been competing ever since I was in high school and just trying to develop myself and then put our team in the best situation we can.

You mentioned [Senior Analyst Joe] Judge before. What specifically did he teach you?

Well, Coach Judge is one of the most knowledgeable coaches that I've ever been around. He knows every part of the game. He's coached every part of the game, even in the special teams. He knows what it looks like. He knows how to break down tape and he was huge for me this year for game prep. At the same time, just breaking down little fundamentals and really just trying to hone in and improve on those. So Coach Judge is a head coach. He's going to be another NFL head coach one day at another great spot and have a ton of success wherever he goes but he was huge for me this year.

Jackson, you talk about your strengths, but what about improving the weaknesses? What do you feel like is the biggest thing you need to improve in order to make the jump to the next level?

Yeah, there's always going to be an adjustment period anytime you take a jump, anytime you play in a new office as well. I think for me, just continue to improve my footwork. There's a few things where me being able to take longer drops, having to consistently work through progressions at a faster rate. Like I said, literally everything that you can have skill set-wise, you've got to improve on.

Did you meet with the Steelers?

Yeah, the Steelers have been great. Coach [Arthur] Smith, Coach [Mike] Tomlin, I think they're great coaches. They've had a ton of success everywhere they've been, especially for Coach Tomlin. Being able to sustain that success is extremely impressive, so I've had a lot of fun making relationships with them.

Jackson, what about your interaction with the New York Giants?

Yeah, that's been great. Coach Daboll is somebody who brings a ton of energy anytime you step into a room. That whole coaching staff, I've had a ton of experience working with them at the Senior Bowl and meeting with them. Especially here, being able to sit and talk ball again. It's been a lot of fun. They're great people and at the same time, great coaches.

What are some of the bigger questions that teams had at the Senior Bowl?

I don't think it's really anything too big of a question. I think it's more just being able to sit down and talk ball. They want to see your recall skills. They want to be able to see your knowledge of the game and really how you can break down yourself. Just being able to watch your own tape and, at the same time, getting little installs from them and being able to recall and install it just the way that they did. They kind of want to see those things. I'm very confident with the player that I am.

On creating a culture.

I feel like I can do whatever it takes for the team to win. I feel like I'm somebody who's a culture and organization changer by the way that I go out there. I've had success at every level I've been. I've been able to win at a rate that hadn't been done before at the school that I was just at. Like I said, I think there's a lot of great quarterbacks out here. We all have different skill sets and things that separate us. But for me, I feel like the intangibles of what I bring to the organization are kind of what set me apart.

What does it take as a quarterback to do a great job?

There's a lot. The higher you get at this level, there's a lot of things that are on your back. Just being able to be mentally strong, meet somebody that's really confident in their identity as a person. Praise and blame is all the same. You've got to be able to take that with heart. Being able to go out there and produce. At the same time, being able to be in front of a group of guys who, especially early on or outward, you've been able to lead them. You've got to be able to do it. There's a lot of things that go into it.

Jackson, did you ever talk to Eli Manning about what it might be like to play in New York?

Yeah, Eli's been great. He's been a huge role model for me. Somebody who's shed a lot of wisdom throughout my time at Ole Miss. Someone that, like I said, I've really looked up to. We've definitely had those conversations. He's a legend. Anytime when you're around that Hall of Fame style of a player, you want to take little pieces and learn as much as you can.

Jaxson, if there's one or two plays from last season you'd want to show NFL teams, say, this throw, this throw proves I'm an NFL quarterback, what would those plays be?

It's kind of hard to think of just two. For me, it's about a full game tape, being able to be successful. I think it's a few throws in my mind. I think I had a throw against Duke that was pretty cool. I had a red zone throw against Georgia that really fired me up when I was out there on the field and threw it. Like I said, I can't really think of just two that really set me apart. Those come to mind quickly. But I think you have a whole field of work that they can look at.

You've got some fire when you're on the field.

Oh, it's huge. I started out playing this game. My dad played safety at the University of Utah. I think he kind of expected me to follow in his footsteps that way. I'm somebody who plays with a lot of fire and is emotional on the field. I like to say that I'm the ultimate competitor, so I think that definitely comes into my place.

What can you tell us about WR Tre Harris?

He's the best receiver in his job class. That's why. He's a security blanket. Any coverage, he can beat anything. At the same time, I don't think a lot of people talk about his yards after catch and his playmaking ability. He's the lead at what he does. Process-wise, the person that he is, he's going to change an organization. You saw it when he was healthy on the field this year. There's nobody like him.

Jackson, a little bit of a funny story. Do you remember the name of your Pee-Wee football team?

Yeah, the Syracuse Storm.

How important is it to be able to make off-schedule throws in the NFL?

Yeah, I think that, like you said, the game has changed a lot. Being able to play the quarterback position and extend plays in the pocket, especially in drop-back concepts and whatnot, scramble drills. You see a lot of times those are huge plays where it all breaks down. But at the same time, you've got to just be smart and being able to move the offense down and put your team in the best position. I think that's something that I've always prided myself on, is just trying to be in the most controlled game as you can be and keeping it easy for the offensive play callers to keep that train rolling and put your team in a really good situation. So I think there's kind of a happy medium to it.

Jackson, you said you're a competitor and you've always started. What if you were drafted by a team that had a bridge quarterback and that you had to sit behind and learn for a year or two? What kind of adjustment would that be?

Yeah, like I said, I've never sat on the bench before, so that would definitely be an adjustment early on but I don't think that's a bad thing at all. I think it's something that you can go into a situation and learn as much as you can. A lot of times when you're in that situation or playing behind a veteran quarterback who's had a ton of success and just knows a ton about the game. So you've got to be a sponge and I think that a lot of times you've seen some of the most successful quarterbacks come out of situations like that. You can bring up Patrick Mahomes. As of late, you know, Jordan Love. And for me, I'm excited to just have the opportunity and just compete wherever I go. I know that I can make a room better. I can make a team better. So I'm just going to be a sponge in any situation that I'm in and really just try to take my game to the next level.

On facing adversity last season.

I think there was unexpectedly a lot more adversity that we faced that we initially thought that we were going to have to going into the season. But I think that my whole college career has really developed me for this situation. Like I said, just being able to find my identity, having to change places at such an early age and move across the country and being ingrained in an offense as a 17-year-old kid. I don't think a lot of people talk about that but I'm the youngest quarterback in this draft class. And at the same time, I've had a ton of experience. So I think that my time throughout my whole college career has really put me in a good situation now of being able to overcome adversity and staying persistent.

On which quarterback he would compare himself to.

Oh. I feel like it's a little bit of a cop-out because he just won the Super Bowl but I love Jalen Hurts and what he does. I feel like I'm very similar in my play style to him. I feel like we can do a lot of the same things. Obviously, he's an elite player and I'm trying to reach that level. But he's been somebody that I've tried to resemble in my game just because of his versatility, being able to run and throw the ball, and just how strong he is in the pocket. I think that's something that I've had a lot of fun watching and observing his play style.

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