With a massive hole opened up at the Quarterback position, the Jets will need to find their guy going forward. What if I told you this guy was available in the 2025 NFL Draft? Jaxson Dart is the perfect fit for the New York Jets and can become the team’s franchise quarterback.
What the Jets are looking for in their next QB
The Jets hired an entirely new coaching staff for 2025. Head coach Aaron Glenn has brought Tanner Engstrand, the former Detroit Lions passing game coordinator, with him to become the new offensive coordinator for the Jets. Engstrand had been with the Lions since 2020 and worked closely with Ben Johnson. He worked his way up the ranks in the Lions’ coaching staff and quickly became one of the more important voices in the Lions’ offensive room.
Engstrand comes from a West Coast offense background and also takes a ton of influence from Jim Harbaugh, who he worked with at Michigan. One of the key things he learned from Harbaugh was utilizing the play-action passing game. Detroit used play-action at the highest rate in 2024 (19.8%) and was the only team ranked ahead of Jim Harbaugh’s Chargers.
In 2024, the Ole Miss offense ran play-action on a whopping 52% of their passes. Dart has plenty of experience as a play-action passer and will be comfortable in this type of offense right away. Play action passing is a skill and the footwork and timing of it can be tricky to learn. Dart will come into the league equipped with this skill and can utilize it as he did throughout his college career.
The Lions’ passing offense was built on attacking the middle of the field with concepts such as dagger. To be a successful QB in this type of offense, you need to be able to throw accurately and with anticipation over the middle. Jaxson Dart does this well. In fact, this may be his strong suit. On tape, Dart showcases the ability to get the ball out quick and accurate to his receivers over the middle. In the intermediate throws, Dart looked incredibly comfortable and read the field well. “Among the top 10 quarterbacks on the PFF Big Board, Jaxson Dart ranked first in passing grade, first in accuracy rate (based on ball placement) on throws between 5 and 25 yards downfield” (John Kosko of PFF)
Dart is a smooth thrower with a quick release and does well climbing up the pocket. He manages to keep his eyes down the field at all times and can layer throws in with touch and anticipation. He has a lot of similarities to Jared Goff. Goff was able to turn his career around by elevating his play in this kind of system. Dart is a better athlete than Goff. He will be more dangerous as a runner and can move outside the pocket better. The point is though, he can operate similarly as Goff did in this system. Engstrand can look at Dart as his new version of Goff and elevate and unlock his play.
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart showed off his arm talent at the NFL Combine 🎯@olemissfb | @jaxsondart pic.twitter.com/dMZjyP8LTb
— NFL (@NFL) March 3, 2025
How can Jaxson Dart become the Jets’ franchise QB
I view Dart as a developmental QB. I don’t think he should be starting right away and will benefit from sitting and learning for a little bit. The Jets have the opportunity to let him do this if they draft him. Veteran QB Tyrod Taylor is under contract and can be the initial starter while Dart works on his game. Dart has the talent and projects to be a guy that can fit in this system but he has things he needs to work on.
Dart’s arm talent is already solid but can become elite. His throwing mechanics are the biggest flaw in his game currently. His mechanics can be improved and when this happens, it will unlock another level to his game. Dart can sling it down the field, but he had some trouble driving throws outside the numbers. To me, I put this on his lower body mechanics. He has shown a tendency to shorten his release by limiting the drive and torque from his lower body. There were flashes of him throwing deep balls on a line down the field, outside the numbers and having success. The touch he has on his throws are spectacular and if he can become consistent with his mechanics, the deep passing game will become unlocked for him.
In terms of reading defenses, Dart is up and down on tape. Overall he does well going through his progressions but there are times when he gets locked onto receivers with his eyes and this won’t work at the next level. Dart played in an offense that allowed him to get the ball out quickly and make easy reads but there are plenty of plays on film where he is tasked with making full field reads. Overall I think he will take some time to get up to the speed of the game at the next level but everything I’ve seen suggests that he can get to where he needs to be. Dart is a smart player and takes care of the football. He maintains keeping his eyes down the field even while scrambling. When a play breaks down, Dart will still be a threat with his arm.
The Jets’ offense going forward will rely a lot on timing. Getting the ball out on time and where it needs to be will be key. Dart fits the mold of the kind of QB that can run this offense. His smooth passing style and ability to layer in throws with accuracy over the middle are what the Jets need. Dart is fearless and would bring in a level of athleticism that can elevate an offense. He is already a good prospect but with the proper development, he can become the franchise guy.
Main Image: Kirby Lee – USA Today Sports
