One thing that has kept us awake for the past few weeks is the sudden uproar around Jaxson Dart‘s NFL landing spot. The same guy who was, for lack of a better word, thrashed by the fans and the media when Ole Miss fell to the Gators, is now on the lips of almost every single draft analyst with the tagline “Jaxson Dart is a Top 3 pick”. But why? If the 2024 Ole Miss conquest is anything to go by, Dart was OK. Not the best player on the board, but he had his moments. A 28-10 win over Kirby Smart‘s roster, albeit aided by the dumpster fire of an offense that Georgia had. Then, maybe add the Arkansas win with a staggering 5 touchdown passes. There were moments, but nothing that could make anyone say that Dart is your next “Franchise quarterback.”

However, Lane Kiffin has never undersold his quarterback, and this time around, he has a confession to make about Jaxson Dart’s football accum. “Jaxson was awesome. His 3 years here, his growth was amazing, but then him to take over a team… The way that he did… He was awesome and left a legacy,” Kiffin pointed out. Out of all the NFL analysts out there, one name has always stood out for us: ESPN’s Louis Riddick. Want NFL or draft knowledge, then Riddick is your man. So when this Jaxson Dart question was propped up during a conversation with USA Today, Riddick had a simple answer: “He is a great leader, tough and competitive as hell… Has a high degree of football intelligence.” 

Any hater can typecast Jaxson Dart as your “NFL backup,” but when you look beyond the fumbles he has had (against Gators or LSU), you will find a guy who is ready to sink and swim with his team. Yes, late-game decision-making was a problem, but how many QBs do you know in this 2025 class that have helped their HC build a whole roster with the “We will win the national championship” mindset?

We have said it before, and we will mention it again: The sole reason Kiffin even managed to get that revenge win over the Bulldogs was because of Jaxson Dart. “This 2024 team is Jaxson Dart’s team, not Lane Kiffin’s team,” was something Stephen Willis had pointed out, and the Dawgs game proved it.

But then again, so many people jumping on the “Dart to the top 10” bandwagon has resulted in a new debate: Will teams like Dart more than Shedeur Sanders?

Second best on the board?

“I’ve heard he’s actually the second-best QB on some teams’ boards. That bodes well for his first-round potential.” This, coming straight from an ESPN analyst, made us scratch our heads. Second Best. Do you have any idea how weird this sounds?

See, fans, analysts, and even team GMs understand the entire concept of having a “great leader” as their QB. It is like one of those most sought-after qualities you would look for in your franchise quarterback. Now, when we put Shedeur Sanders here, albeit the toughness or the arm strength or accuracy, leadership was never his strong suit.

Remember, this is the same guy who is infamous for his “watch flex’ and then calling out his O-line after the Nebraska loss. Still, this is the same quarterback who, without his top receivers, managed to hold his ground against the Wildcats.

So when you bring the leadership dilemma into question, while Shedeur might not be as bright as Dart, he still has the qualities to flip the script and take Buffs to a win. That one Hail Mary is the biggest evidence of it. You can label the Sanders boy as “arrogant” but he and Cam Ward are still the top dogs of the 25′ class.