Jaxson Dart Will No Longer Attend 2025 NFL Draft, Removed from List of Attendees

Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart is no longer slated to attend the 2025 NFL draft.

Dart was omitted when the NFL provided an updated list of the prospects who will be on hand for this year's event in Green Bay, Wisconsin. ESPN.com noted it's unclear why the change was made.

One immediate read on the situation is that either Dart or the NFL has grown more skeptical about the likelihood he goes in the first round.

When NFL draft guru Todd McShay projected the New York Giants to trade back into the first round to get Alabama's Jalen Milroe, he cited Milroe's invitation as a meaningful distinction.

"The NFL has made it abundantly clear that it does not want another Aaron Rodgers, Brady Quinn, or even Will Levis green-room situation on its hands," McShay wrote. "Thirteen players accepted invites to last year’s draft — all 13 were selected in the top 27. This year, the messaging has been that only eight to 10 players will be present in Green Bay for the draft. So I have no choice but to interpret Milroe's invitation to draft night as a sign that he'll be taken in the first round."

Dart ranks 57th overall on Bleacher Report's big board and is the third-best QB behind Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders. Because of how much quarterbacks are valued, he could feasibly be taken in the latter half of the first round.

B/R's most recent mock draft had him going to the Cleveland Browns with the No. 24 pick.

"Mississippi's Jaxson Dart gives the Browns a quarterback with above-average physical tools to grow inside Kevin Stefanski's offense," B/R NFL scout Dame Parson said when explaining the choice. "Dart has solid-to-good arm talent, but he throws with the right touch to layer passes over the heads of defenders. When his ability to run the football is added to the mix, the Browns offense will eventually have an effective QB under center, especially off play-action."

It wouldn't be a shock if Dart slipped to the second round, though. He had big numbers as a senior (4,279 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and a 180.7 passer rating) but didn't fully resolve the flaws in his game.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler also cited one NFC executive who said Lane Kiffin's offense at Ole Miss is a "mess" for QBs making the jump to the pros.

There could be a reason for Dart's change in draft-day status that's totally unrelated to the process itself. He may have simply decided he wanted to spend the night with his family and friends.

Without further context, though, a lot of fans will likely see this as a foreboding sign.