You snooze, you lose. QB Jaxson Dart has been ascending in both the perception of his game among relevant circles and the more hypothetical projections and mocks over the course of this spring. Where his NFL grade was 6 weeks ago and where it is today are very different. There are a couple of reasons. For one, the supply at the position group in this draft class isn’t meeting demand. Meaning he’s inadvertently getting bumped up. But the more prominent reasons have to do with his day out at the Combine in Indy, his Pro Day, and people just generally coming around to what he put on tape in college. There sure is a lot to like about Dart. But even as he’s risen to a near consensus 1st round stock, he’s not resting on his laurels. There’s still work to be done and front offices to be impressed. Dart’s doing exactly that.

Jaxson Dart’s style of quarterbacking is rather nuanced. He doesn’t possess elite maneuverability in the backfield in and out of the pocket like Caleb Williams. Or the scrambling and rushing threat of Jayden Daniels. But he can extend plays, and he can move the chains for first downs with his legs. Dart’s got a balanced game that’s accentuated by one top-end skill—his ability to throw downfield. Boy, can he pump a deep b–l. Couple these traits with his measurables of 6’2, 223lb, and there’s plenty to work with. Making the steady rise in his stock palpable. Alas, with just a fortnight remaining to the draft, Dart’s making sure he’s getting all his skills across to the powers that be.

It’s standard practice for players, especially quarterbacks, to train with renowned personal coaches this time of year. Hone your craft with people who’ve got a track record of helping prospective contemporaries of yours. Jordan Palmer, brother USC legend and former no. 1 overall pick Carson Palmer, sticks out as a prominent go-to guy. But Jaxson Dart opted to work with Adam Dedeaux and Taylor Kelly of 3DQB.

The pair has trained some serious names over the last couple of draft cycles. The likes of Bryce Young and CJ Stroud, who went #1 and #2 overall in 2023. The aforementioned Jayden Daniels, JJ McCarthy, and Michael Penix Jr. last year, and even Jaxson Dart’s fellow class of ‘25 QB Dillon Gabriel. Dart, in an effort to make some noise on the airwaves, hired a production company to film his session with Dedeaux and Kelly. He posted the resultant montage on IG- and it’s everything you’d expect and more.

In said highlights’ package, posted on the @blewproductionco handle, Jaxson Dart is airing a pigskin on a short field in nice, Southern Cali weather. The video mostly includes a variety of his special traits—the deep shots downfield. The sheer volume of them at differing distances and angles goes to show he’s still improving at them. This montage even includes some intermediate throws. Dart has an innate ability to both float it across and throw it with some vim and velocity. He can crunch it between tight spaces but also throw open passes right down the breadbasket of his receivers. Something that was on display during this video. Jaxson Dart isn’t one to shy away from the flash and pageantry either. He even threw a sweet no-look pass into the endzone in one clip. His dad, Brandon Dart, was also in the comments section of the post showing love.

Jaxson Dart’s message to the league is loud and clear: “See me, like me? Come get me.” He’s not in a shortage of suitors at this juncture. But when he’ll come off Roger Goodell’s draft board is still pretty liquid. Dart could be anything from a lottery pick to a very late first-rounder. So, him pushing some good PR through more tape is shrewd. Depending on how early he goes, he stands to earn more money on his rookie-scale contract. Dart’s come a long way through this process, but there’s still some juice left to squeeze. As for his potential landing spots, a very intriguing one has opened up. He’s already training out on the Pacific coast. How does staying there sound like?

Jaxson Dart linked to Sean McVay’s Rams

Jaxson Dart was recruited to USC after high school, before transferring over to Ole Miss. So he’s already got links to LA. Interestingly, the Rams are gaining traction as a team that could look to draft him. They pick 26th overall, which is in and around where he’s grading right now. These links caught some momentum when Adam Schefter reported that the franchise has spent “considerable time” engaging with Dart. Now, ESPN’s iconic draftnik Mel Kiper has logged a projection for them to pick him at #26.

This does make sense for both parties. From the Rams’ perspective, a succession plan for Matthew Stafford is requisite. He’s no spring chicken anymore and is already flirting with an exit this off-season. Drafting Jaxson Dart to sit behind him and learn the ropes is a viable strategy. From Dart’s perspective, this would be a dreamy scenario. HC Sean McVay is enough of a factor to sell any offensive player. As is walking into a situation where, albeit he won’t start from the jump, there’s a route into the starting lineup. The cherry on top is the fact they play in a dome, so those deep b–ls of his will fly extra far!

There’s no smoke without fire. Schefter and Kiper are merely fanning the flames of a reality that does exist. Dart will hope he winds up in an environment that’s conducive to his growth and development. Which the Rams do have. It’s a young team, and aligning themselves with a QB on the same timeline is enticing. But there are a lot of alternative routes they can go down. With nothing set in stone, Dart will seek to continue impressing and elevating himself above his peers.