Following the NFL Scouting Combine, whispers emerged claiming that some NFL teams had Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart ranked ahead of Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders as the second-best quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft class behind Miami’s Cam Ward.
For a piece published Friday, ESPN draft analyst and league insider Matt Miller touched upon the Dart-versus-Sanders evaluations.
“In a conversation with a high-level scout,” Miller explained, “I was told to expect the unexpected in the first round. …One prediction from the same scout: Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart being selected over Shedeur Sanders. According to the scout, multiple NFL teams have Dart ranked over Sanders and believe he has better physical traits (arm strength, mobility) and more developmental upside.”
Miller isn’t alone. On Friday, Cleveland Browns reporter Zac Jackson of The Athletic said that “one high-ranking AFC scout said there’s ‘real chatter’ that Dart could go ahead of Sanders.”
The alleged slide of Sanders’ draft stock began after he reportedly “hit the wrong notes in combine interviews” with teams and continued even before he lacked “elite traits” during his pro day workout on April 4. Some scouts and analysts have compared Sanders to journeymen such as Jacoby Brissett and Teddy Bridgewater.
While it seems to be a guarantee that the Tennessee Titans will make Ward the draft’s first pick, the Browns (selection No. 2) and New York Giants (No. 3) are reportedly ready to pass on Sanders. Reporters have suggested the New York Jets could take Sanders at choice No. 7, but a March report said that some within that organization left the combine “enamored with” Dart.
Numerous stories have linked the Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 21) with Sanders, Dart and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe. If the New Orleans Saints don’t grab Sanders at pick No. 9, a team such as the Browns or Giants could trade back into the first round to keep Dart rather than Sanders from falling to Pittsburgh.
Sanders reportedly may only want to be drafted by the Saints, Steelers or Las Vegas Raiders. Perhaps that will be the biggest reason Dart becomes the second quarterback selected on April 24.
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