Jaxson Dart Discussed as Possible NFL Draft QB2 Ahead of Shedeur Sanders by Insiders

Even though it's been assumed for weeks that Shedeur Sanders will be the second quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL draft, Jaxson Dart is coming up quick in the rearview mirror just three weeks away from the event.

Appearing on the Saturday morning edition of SportsCenter, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler explained there's "talk in some league circles" that Dart could end up being the No. 2 quarterback off the board after Cam Ward:

"Jaxson Dart, he is a hot name right now when you talk to teams, they bring him up unprompted. Where is Jaxson Dart gonna go? He met with Pittsburgh this week on a top 30 visit, went to visit the Steelers. They pick 21st, so that could be an option there. And then the Saints have done a lot of quarterback homework. They were watching Dart intently at his pro day the other day, so they could be a sleeper for him. There's even talk in some league circles that he could go ahead of Shedeur. I have a hard time believing that at this point, but teams are at least wondering whether he could jump that high."

Ward going with the top pick to the Tennessee Titans may not be written in stone yet, but they definitely have the stone slab and chisel ready to start the engraving process.

It speaks to the group of quarterbacks available in this draft that there's such a wide variance of opinions on the players after Ward depending on which source you look at.

B/R's NFL scouting department has Sanders ranked comfortably as the second-best signal-caller (No. 18 overall prospect). Dart (No. 4 quarterback) is actually slightly behind Ohio State's Will Howard on the big board.

Based on the consensus big board compiled by The Athletic's Austin Mock, Sanders is barely a first-round prospect (No. 32 overall) and Dart is a late-second-round talent (No. 53 overall).

Sanders' scouting report touts his "precision" in the pocket, but notes he can take too many hits because he waits for big plays to develop rather than settling for what the defense is giving him.

Dart seems to be doing a good job of overcoming the stigma NFL teams have about Lane Kiffin's offensive scheme at Mississippi that doesn't ask quarterbacks to do much.

The scouting report for Dart notes his processing when the first read isn't open tends to be slower than a typical senior quarterback and he struggles to throw under pressure, but he does possess "a good physical skill set to be an effective starting quarterback."

Both players seem almost certain to get bumped up during the actual because that tends to happen with quarterbacks. There could also going to be an eye-of-the-beholder situation that could determine whether Sanders or Dart is selected first.

B/R's NFL scouting department is projecting Sanders to the New Orleans Saints at No. 9 in its most recent one-round mock draft. Dart was not included among the top 32 picks.

If a team prefers Dart's skill set to Sanders', don't be surprised if he comes off the board much earlier than anticipated.