Top 2025 NFL Draft Landing Spots for Jaxson Dart amid Buzz of Leaping Shedeur Sanders

The NFL pre-draft process will almost always throw a curveball at some point. During the lead-up to the 2025 draft, for example, Colorado's Shedeur Sanders has been constantly considered QB2 behind Miami's Cam Ward. It would seem, however, that this isn't a universal evaluation.

On Friday, The Athletic's Zac Jackson quoted a high-ranking AFC scout who said that there's been “real chatter” suggesting that Mississippi's Jaxson Dart could go ahead of Sanders later this month. Two other executives, per Jackson, described the draft's QB forecast as “unpredictable” and “all over the place."

This may seem like a surprising nugget, considering Sanders has widely been viewed as a better pro prospect—the Bleacher Report Scouting Department ranked Sanders 24 spots higher than Dart on its latest big board. However, factors like upside, skill set and team/scheme fit matter and may indeed have some teams viewing Dart as a superior choice.

With these factors in mind, let's rank the top landing spots for Dart with less than two weeks to go before the 2025 NFL Draft.

5. Cleveland Browns

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Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski

The Cleveland Browns, who finally admitted that the Deshaun Watson experiment was a failure, need a long-term answer at quarterback. Cleveland traded for Kenny Pickett early this offseason and signed Joe Flacco on Friday, but it will take a chance on a young signal-caller at some point in the draft.

Jackson's nugget about Dart came in a piece about the Browns, who have met with Dart, Sanders, Ward, Louisville's Tyler Shough and Alabama's Jalen Milroe this offseason.

The addition of Flacco, who helped lead the Browns to the playoffs in 2023, probably means that Cleveland won't be desperate enough to use the second overall pick on a quarterback—unless the Tennessee Titans surprisingly pass on Ward at No. 1. It's more likely that they'll take either Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter or Penn State pass-rusher Abdul Carter at the top of Round 1 and come back for a signal-caller later.

Moving back into the first round to get a quarterback and the fifth-year option could be a real possibility for the Browns, who own the 33rd overall pick.

With a year to learn behind Flacco, Dart could be a solid fit for Cleveland. He's a strong-armed passer with terrific downfield accuracy who could push the ball downfield in Kevin Stefanski's offense.

Watching highlights from Flacco and Jameis Winston over the past two seasons, it's not hard to envision Dart launching deep passes to Hunter and Jerry Jeudy.

The one potential problem with this pairing is that the Browns have real concerns along the offensive line. Injuries have been a major issue over the past two seasons, and Cleveland simply doesn't have a dependable left tackle. Dart is not at his best under duress.

"Dart struggles to throw under pressure while inside the pocket," Dame Parson of the B/R Scouting Department wrote. "His mechanics and accuracy go awry."

Of course, if Cleveland isn't planning to start a rookie right away, it could have time to settle its line before throwing Dart onto the field.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

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Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin

The Pittsburgh Steelers are the one team on this list that doesn't have a seasoned veteran QB in place for the 2025 season—at least not yet. Pittsburgh is still waiting for Aaron Rodgers to make a decision, which has left things a little awkward, according to NFL Insider Josina Anderson.

The Steelers did bring back Mason Rudolph this offseason, so they wouldn't have to force Dart onto the field immediately. However, the timeframe for turning to the rookie would likely be shorter in Pittsburgh since Rudolph has limited upside.

The Steelers also have an offensive line that is a work in progress—it was ranked 27th overall by Pro Football Focus last season—which is one reason why Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski listed Pittsburgh as a poor landing spot for Sanders. Another reason Sobleski listed? Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's reliance on the ground game and play-action.

Play-action is usually most effective when the quarterback operates from under center, something Dart didn't do at Mississippi.

What the Steelers can offer is a terrific head coach in Mike Tomlin who consistently keeps his team in contention, plus an organization that is regularly patient with its younger players.

Pittsburgh also has a pair of potent pass-catchers in George Pickens and DK Metcalf that would mesh perfectly with Dart's downfield passing ability. The aforementioned offensive line could be better this year too, especially if 2024 first-round pick Troy Fautanu is fully recovered from last year's season-ending knee injury.

Why would Dart be a better fit for the Steelers than Sanders? It comes down to skill set. Sanders' biggest strengths are his timing and accuracy. Those were Pickett's strengths too, and he didn't work out in Pittsburgh because the Steelers were constantly searching for a better deep-passing attack.

This may not be the best overall fit for Dart, but it would be a good one. Any team hoping to trade back into Round 1 for Dart may have to jump the Steelers at No. 21.

Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport even recently called Dart to the Steelers 'inevitable."

3. New York Giants

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Giants head coach Brian Daboll

Like the Browns, the New York Giants are unlikely to use their top pick (No. 3 overall) on a quarterback. Adding Winston and Russell Wilson won't prevent New York from considering Sanders and/or Dart at No. 3, but if Ward goes No. 1 overall, the Giants can land either Hunter or Carter.

The Giants also hold the 34th pick, though, so moving back into the first round will be an option. With a year to learn behind Wilson and/or Winston, the Mississippi product could also be a good fit in New York.

Head coach Brian Daboll first landed the Giants job because of his ability to craft a system around Josh Allen as the Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator. Dart shouldn't be confused with the reigning MVP, but his combination of size (6'2", 223 lbs), functional athleticism and arm talent could allow Daboll to go back to what worked in Buffalo.

Dart can deliver the ball from a variety of angles, and while he doesn't possess elite arm strength, he can connect on deep throws with some consistency.

"Dart’s deep accuracy is very good. Not elite, but his deep passes are pristine when he’s on," The Athletic's Ted Nguyen wrote.

Of course, some fans may think that an unpolished prospect with a good deep ball and running skills (495 rushing yards in 2024) may sound a lot like Daniel Jones. Those fans aren't wrong, but let's not forget that Daboll built a playoff team around Jones just three years ago.

The fact that Jones never grew as a passer after his 2022 campaign shouldn't be held against the 21-year-old Dart.

New York already has a top-tier wide receiver in Malik Nabers, a capable running back in Tyrone Tracy Jr. and a solid, if not elite, tackle tandem in Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor. Its supporting cast is better than last year's 3-14 record would indicate.

The Giants may not reach the playoffs next season, but Dart could be leading a playoff-caliber squad by 2026 in New York.

2. New Orleans Saints

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Saints head coach Kellen Moore

Sobleski also listed the New Orleans Saints as a poor fit for Sanders, due in part to the presence of new head coach Kellen Moore.

Moore's offenses typically feature a strong deep-passing element. In 2024, for example, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts ranked fourth in the league in air yards per attempt. Sanders' skill set doesn't lend itself to an offense that consistently wants to attack deep.

While it may take some time for Dart to adjust to a more pro-style offense, however, he could eventually become and ideal fit for Moore's system in New Orleans.

In fact, The Ringer's Todd McShay recently told the Rich Eisen Show (h/t Bleacher Report's Julia Stumbaugh) that there are "a lot of people" in the NFL who view Hurts as a strong player comp for Dart.

McShay also believes that Dart is a far more logical choice for the Saints than Sanders.

"He is used to a bigger, mobile, stronger arm quarterback. And those are three qualities that Jaxson Dart has," he said on The McShay Show (h/t Heavy's Evan Cormier).

While New Orleans' offensive line isn't great (ranked 22nd by PFF), the Saints have quality skill players in Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, Brandin Cooks and Alvin Kamara. They also have a quarterback in Derek Carr who could give Dart a year or two to learn from the sideline—if the veteran is healthy.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Carr is dealing with a shoulder injury that "threatens his availability" for the coming season. If Carr can't open the season, New Orleans could turn to Jake Haener, Spencer Rattler or Ben DiNucci before throwing Dart into the fire.

The big question is whether New Orleans would be willing to flip the switch on Dart at ninth overall. That's high for a prospect who has carried a Day 2 grade for most of the pre-draft process, though trading back a few spots could make the perceived "reach" a bit more palatable.

1. Los Angeles Rams

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The Los Angeles Rams may or may not be in the quarterback market later this month, depending on who you believe.

Head coach Sean McVay called drafting a QB early "unlikely" at the spring owners meetings.

"I think that's I think that's unlikely. I'll be honest with you, I haven't done a whole lot of work on the quarterbacks," McVay told reporters, per Brock Vierra of SI.com. "I feel really good about where our quarterback room is, even though we're not naive to the fact that Matthew [Stafford] hopefully got a couple more years that he wants to play.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter and Field Yates, however, Dart has spent "considerable time" with the Saints, Giants and Rams during the pre-draft process.

Landing Dart at No. 26 may also be unlikely, given the position of teams like the Saints and Steelers ahead of L.A. in the draft order—and the Rams may be uninterested in trading up for a quarterback with Stafford still in the fold.

Landing in Los Angeles, however, would be an ideal scenario for Dart. For starters, he'd have at least this season to learn under Stafford—possibly longer, depending on the 37-ear-old's desire to play next season—and he'd get to work with two terrific receivers in Davante Adams and Puka Nacua.

The Rams also have an offensive line that showed growth during the 2024 season, finishing the year ranked 14th overall by Pro Football Focus.

Most importantly, McVay's system could help make some of Dart's biggest question marks a non-issue.

"Dart is accustomed to favorable schemed/open routes that he struggles to quickly get through his reads and find the next open target if the initial read is covered," Parson wrote. "...Dart lacks confidence throwing against tight man-to-man coverage, leading to a higher pressure-to-sack percentage."

While Dart would still have to work through his progressions more quickly, McVay's offense regularly uses scheme and spacing to create wide-open receivers down the field. Dart could operate effectively in L.A. while still working on his ability to read defenses and make anticipation throws.

The Rams, of course, would find more immediate help by drafting a tight end like Penn State's Tyler Warren or a defensive back like Florida State's Azareye'h Thomas in Round 1—Thomas was the pick in the B/R Scouting Department's latest mock draft. At some point, however, they have to find their long-term heir to Stafford.

Dart has the potential to be that successor, and he couldn't ask for a better landing spot than L.A.