Dan Orlovsky rules out one NFC team potentially drafting Jaxson Dart

The Los Angeles Rams will select first at No. 26 in the first round of this year's NFL draft, and the organization has a variety of routes they can decide to go with that selection. While they have a few needs they can address in the first round, they may also target a future franchise quarterback.

Matthew Stafford, the veteran quarterback for the Rams, has agreed to a deal that will keep him with the organization through 2025. The Rams are unsure, though, if the 37-year-old veteran will retire following the 2025 campaign.

Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss is one quarterback the Rams have been linked with ahead of the draft. Many did not project that this quarterback would be chosen in the first round at the start of this draft cycle, but he appears to have put himself in first-round conversations in recent weeks.

Former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky, who currently works for ESPN, has previously hailed Dart as a possible hidden gem in this year's draft. Orlovsky, however, doesn't believe Dart will be selected by the Rams in the draft.

Orlovsky responded, "The Rams are a legitimate, small-group, bona fide contender,” when asked why L.A. shouldn't take a quarterback with high upsides like Dart or Jalen Milroe with their first-round pick.

"This is a legit Super Bowl contender, and legit Super Bowl contenders don't, in the first round, take quarterbacks," Orlovsky said.

The 2024 season saw Dart pass for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions while playing for Ole Miss.

Jaxson Dart's NFL draft projection

Jaxson Dart of Ole Miss was selected to the First-Team All-SEC in 2024 after he led his team to a 10-2 record and scored 32 total touchdowns. He accumulated 11,970 passing yards, 81 touchdowns and 27 interceptions throughout his four years in college. He also recorded 14 rushing touchdowns and 1,541 yards on the ground.

The 21-year-old signal-caller has reportedly spent a lot of time on pre-draft visits with NFL teams in advance of this week's draft. But NFL insiders have a broad range of predictions about where he would eventually land.

However, according to multiple mock drafts, Dart is expected to be the third quarterback selected, after Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders. In essence, the star quarterback is projected to be selected either late in the first round or early in the second round.

Considering the recent buzz surrounding Dart and the quarterback class, it would be surprising to see him passed over in the first two rounds of the selection.