Jaxson Dart makes surprising 2025 NFL Draft decision

The 2025 NFL Draft quarterback class is one of the most chaotic in recent memory, and that uncertainty is being reflected in who's attending this year's draft in Indianapolis.

Initially, three quarterbacks were slated to attend the ceremony, but according to an announcement from the league on Friday, that number is down to just two.

Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reported that former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart would no longer be attending the proceedings in Indianapolis, after it was initially reported that he would be there.

NFL sends out an updated list of prospects set to attend the draft next week in Green Bay. Looks like QB Jaxson Dart has backed out pic.twitter.com/6QNSTn3yG2
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) April 18, 2025

Dart's draft stock is one of the biggest questions of the draft heading into next Thursday's event, along with that of fellow quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Projections have Dart going anywhere from the mid-first round to somewhere on Day 2, depending on who you believe.

The problem for Dart is that there are two drastically different pictures of the quarterback that you're looking at, and your view of his stock depends largely on which one you think is more important.

On one hand, there is the typical Draft profile. Dart fits the mold of a modern NFL quarterback incredibly well. He's got the size, athleticism and arm strength to be an NFL starter, to be sure, and his accuracy is excellent in the short and mid-range passing game. He's shone brightly during the pre-draft process, which has seen his stock continue to climb as he performs well in practice drills.

He has that unique blend of physical tools that make draft evaluators salivate at the chance to take him, and the flaws he's shown are the sort that make quarterback coaches around the league say "I can fix him." He's the kind of player where you can see what he could be if you can fix what's wrong, and that player is VERY tough to pass up.

The problem is, there's a second Dart out there. That version of the quarterback has not shown an ability to make good decisions on his second and third reads, and gives off the vibe of "sometimes, a guy's just gotta throw an interception." You know it's coming, you just don't know when that snake is going to rear it's head and strike. It's the guy who struggled mightily down the stretch last season, and failed to make a consistent impact in an ugly, ugly loss to Kentucky.

When you watch his game film, you see a very different sort of quarterback than you might in the drills; you see a player who's a bit more of a project, and a bit less likely to hit as a big-time NFL quarterback.

That uncertainty about which version of Dart is the real one is what's driving the fluctuation in his draft stock, and that uncertainty is likely what's keeping him at home this year. No one wants to be the guy who sits in the green room for two days waiting for his name to be called, and while Dart could be the second quarterback off the board, he could also be the third or fourth, depending on how teams wound up feeling about him.

His decision leaves likely number one pick Cam Ward and former Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe (whos stock is similarly chaotic) as the only quarterbacks to attend this year's draft.

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