"Jaxson Dart is the next Gardner Minshew" - Former Jets scout has scathing analysis of Ole Miss QB's NFL potential

A former New York Jets scout isn't sold on Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart being a legit starting NFL quarterback. Dart has risen through many ranks ahead of the 2025 NFL draft and could even sneak into the first round.

On Monday, former Jets scout Daniel Kelly shared his opinion and player comparison for Dart in a post on X. He compared Dart to Las Vegas Raiders' Gardner Minshew as he doesn't think he will be a true starting quarterback in the NFL.

"Jaxson Dart is the next Gardner Minshew," Kelly wrote. "He’s one of those classic 'borderline starters' who’s never quite good enough and ends up bouncing around the league."

Kelly, who spent four years scouting for the Jets, clearly doesn't think Dart can be an impactful starter in the NFL as many do. Dart did have some success in college, but Kelly thinks he is a borderline starter and is more likely a backup in the league.

Dart went 276 for 398 for 4,279 yards, 29 touchdowns and six interceptions at Ole Miss in 2024.

Lane Kiffin expects Jaxson Dart to do well in the NFL

Jaxson Dart had success at Ole Miss and helped the program become a contender in the SEC.

As Dart moves on to the NFL, his coach at the Rebels, Lane Kiffin, believes Dart has plenty of football knowledge and his arm talent is legit so he can succeed at the next level.

“Yeah, I think a lot of times in the NFL, there’s so much longer verbiage and terminology, which create over time a shortened-down (version) so we can play faster,” Kiffin said on an ESPN2 broadcast from the Senior Bowl. “But he still has a lot of the concepts, a lot of the knowledge for it. And he can adapt to anything, so he’ll be awesome.”

Dart is the third-ranked quarterback behind Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders in ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest rankings ahead of the 2025 NFL draft.

Meanwhile, NFLDraftBuzz projects Dart to be a second-round pick and ranks him as the 56th player in the draft and the third-ranked quarterback. Dart was a three-year starter at Ole Miss.

The 2025 NFL draft is set for April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.