Ole Miss has a storied lineage with quarterbacks. The great Archie Manning once donned the iconic red and blue stripe. He went no.2 in the 1971 NFL Draft. Later, the honor passed on to his youngest son. Eli Manning’s tenure with the Rebels was a resounding success too, before going no. 1 overall in 2004. Over 2 decades later, a very worthy successor has laid claim to this proverbial throne down in Mississippi. Jaxson Dart is, statistically, the most successful quarterback in program history. In fact, he overtook Eli’s yards record down the stretch this season. Yet, he’s not quite viewed in the upper echelons by the powers that be regarding his NFL future, unlike his predecessors.

Jaxson Dart’s imminently moving up the footballing rung and going pro. His collegiate career, which initially began at USC, has ceased. The general consensus is that Dart is not going to be a Day 1 pick off the board come April. This discernment stems from a multi-faceted assessment. While most of it is inadvertently down to Dart’s perceived talent and tangibles, one such facet is out of his control. His HC Lane Kiffin’s history of developing NFL-calibre quarterbacks is a potential hindrance. One draftnik and analyst delved into this notion.

The analyst took to their “Broshmo” YouTube platform to leverage insight on Jaxson Dart and the rest of the 2025 QB class. The host placed Dart as the 4th best, in isolation, with a great standing. However, this draft class is considered weak at the position and certainly weaker than last year’s class, which saw the most quarterbacks picked in the first round in draft history. While he was largely positive about Dart’s prospects, the host pointed to a couple of reasons why franchises will be deterred.

“The thing that I’m kind of unsure with when it comes to Dart is, how can he translate to the NFL? Because we’ve seen Kiffin guys have a problem translating to the NFL,” he said. He pointed to Matt Corral as an example of this. Corral was picked in the 3rd round in 2022 with a view to some upside. After bouncing around teams for a couple of years, he’s now out of the league entirely. Under Lane Kiffin at the Rebels, he was named Second-team All-SEC in 2021. One thing creating separation for Dart here is that he was bestowed First-team honours for his escapades this year. “Dart’s gonna be someone you have to sit early. I truly believe that, as he kind of gets accustomed to the NFL,” he added. 

The reason he thinks Kiffin-developed QBs don’t convert on the next level is because of his RPO, or Run-Pass-Option heavy offensive scheming. While they work brilliantly in CFB, the D-coordinators in the NFL are a notch above at cracking it since it’s somewhat simplistic. Kiffin is perhaps trying to modify his point of attack. That said, a team is bound to roll the die on Jaxson Dart. One franchise, who actually has an urgent vacancy under centre, is reportedly eyeing him up.

Jaxson Dart reportedly being weighed up by the Las Vegas Raiders as “Plan-B”

One of the definitive franchises seeking a QB is the Las Vegas Raiders. It’s widely expected that the Raiders will be in the mix for Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, the two front-runners in this class. But it is not a foregone conclusion that they’ll draft a QB in the first round. That’s where Jaxson Dart comes into the fray.

The roster deficiencies at the Raiders run so deep that they might indulge in some acrobatics. There is a rationale that the Raiders should trade back. This would allow them to draft multiple high-caliber picks. Filling out the supporting cast with top-end talent instead of going full pelt on a quarterback. Then, draft a QB in the later rounds. Dart has been reported as a candidate in case the Raiders maneuver in that direction due to the potential of him sliding down into the later rounds.

Scratching below the conspicuous surface and judging players on merit is vital. Talent isn’t translative among different players. Even though Lane Kiffin’s QBs have a marred history, Jaxson Dart has shown he’s quite literally a cut above. He’ll hope the Raiders, or anyone in the same boat takes a chance at him. Whether it’s as an immediate starter or a developmental project.