Sports
When should Jaxson Dart be drafted? Evaluating pros and cons of the Ole Miss QB
Mississippi’s Jaxson Dart is this NFL Draft cycle’s most divisive quarterback. Some evaluators think he’s a mid-round pick, while ESPN’s Mel Kiper mocked Dart going No. 9. Kiper may have been trying to be controversial for engagement, but Dart does have an intriguing skillset and one can see how an evaluator could be drawn to him.
He’s not tall (6-foot-2), but he’s built well (225 pounds). He has good arm talent and is a legitimate big-play threat as a runner. However, he played in a simplistic spread offense and will need time to adjust to an NFL offense. In a weaker quarterback class, can Dart’s theoretical ceiling, along with his steady production, be enough to push him into the first two rounds of the draft?
The skillset
When it comes to natural throwing ability, Dart has every type of throw in his bag. He doesn’t have a rocket arm, but he has a live one, and he can complete outbreakers and move the ball downfield with ease.
He throws outbreaking routes with timing, accuracy and zip. These are defined throws on which he has a high degree of confidence before the snap that the receiver will be open. He doesn’t hesitate to make these throws if he sees off coverage and space outside.
Dart doesn’t just have a fastball. One of his best traits is his ability to throw off-speed and layer passes over defenders. The Mississippi offense is free flowing and routes aren’t precise. Receivers are looking for space and adjusting their angles. Dart does a good job of seeing what his receivers see and leading them into open spaces. Even though he’ll put touch on passes in the middle of the field, he rarely leads his receivers into big hits.
Dart’s deep accuracy is very good. Not elite, but his deep passes are pristine when he’s on. He can hit his receivers perfectly in stride down the field on deep posts and go-balls but can have stretches where he sprays the ball.
Dart has a natural ability as a creator. Sometimes, you want to see him look downfield more when he breaks the pocket (9.5 percent scramble rate) or gets pressured, but he was an effective scrambler (6.87 yards per scramble) so it’s understandable. The clip above was one of his best throws of the season. Against Duke, he was flushed out of the pocket, kept his eyes downfield, and threw a perfect deep bomb, hitting his receiver in stride.
On third-and-14, against Oklahoma, Dart broke the pocket to his right. Originally, Dart’s receiver was running a shallow across the field. As Dart broke the pocket, he threw the ball upfield instead of horizontally to lead his receiver to open space. He and his receiver were on the same page and they converted. This pass shows creativity and instincts when playing outside of structure. He won’t be able to scramble as much in the NFL, so he’ll have to look downfield more.
Dart has good size and vertical speed. Teams will have to gameplan for his ability to scramble, and he’ll be able to execute designed quarterback runs in the league. He’s twitchy in the pocket and has the strength to rip away from pass rushers. He routinely makes the first defender miss in the pocket. He’s a linear runner in the open field but has the speed to pull away from defenders.
Pocket toughness is a trait that you either have or you don’t. Rarely do quarterbacks become more willing to stand in the pocket and take hits. Dart is very willing to keep his eyes downfield and rotate into throws despite knowing he’ll take a hit. He also can generate power and maintain accuracy in muddy pockets without a big runway in front of him.
The offense
Overall, Dart’s skillset offers a lot that you can’t teach. His ceiling relative to other quarterbacks in this class is very high. However, his offense at Ole Miss doesn’t translate to the NFL. It will take time for him to learn a pro system, footwork and even how to take a snap from under center. As we’ve seen, the NFL rarely shows the necessary patience for long periods of development.
There was a free-flow feel to the Ole Miss offense. Receivers weren’t running precise timing routes, so Dart doesn’t have much experience with timing throws and syncing his feet with his progressions. Head coach Lane Kiffin is an excellent play caller and often got Dart’s first read open. There weren’t many examples of Dart getting through multiple reads on a play but that doesn’t mean he can’t eventually learn how to do it.
This third-and-14 play against Arkansas was one of the rare examples of him getting through multiple reads. Dart initially looked to his left. His slot receiver was indecisive and ran a sloppy route, showing his receivers were either undisciplined or given a lot of freedom to find open space. Dart eventually progressed to his right outside receiver and led his target to open space. You can see in the clip that Dart hops from read to read rather than hitch from read to read. Cleaning up his footwork is going to take some time.
One of the few full-field progression concepts that Ole Miss has in their offense is an air raid staple: Y-Cross. On Y-cross, Dart should be reading the fade and shoot route (bottom of the screen) simultaneously. The corner to that side was playing flat-footed and had his eyes on the shoot route. Ideally, Dart would have seen the corner’s body language and thrown the fade route. No one was deep with the corner playing the shoot route. Instead, Dart progressed to his third read but made a nice throw in the middle of the field.
Sometimes it looks like Dart determines his throws pre-snap because he often goes to the same receiver on certain concepts. For example, against Florida, early in the game, he hit his receiver on a deep post on a Mills concept (deep post with a dig route). Kiffin called the same play later in the game. This time, Florida’s defensive backs dropped deep and easily picked off the pass.
Dart has to be better against the blitz. He was sacked 9.6 percent of the time when blitzed (10 sacks overall). His numbers against the blitz are inflated by run/pass options (RPOs) counting as blitzes because defenders are moving toward the line of scrimmage to play the run. On third-and-long (7+ yards), which are true dropback situations, his EPA per dropback against the blitz is 0.05.
Here, the Duke defense showed a cover 0 blitz look with multiple defenders at the line of scrimmage. With more potential pass rushers than blockers, ideally, Dart should abort the play fake and quickly find a “hot” receiver. But he still carried out the play fake which made it easy for an unblocked defender to get to him. His slot receiver to his right found space and quickly got his eyes back to Dart but the quarterback didn’t see him.
In this clip, the defense again showed a heavy-pressure look. Ideally, Dart should look for a quick outlet and hope his receiver can break a tackle in space on third-and-long. He had a three-on-three situation to his left (bottom of the screen) but after the snap, he looked to the single receiver side but that receiver was double covered. Dart broke the pocket and found a receiver on the scramble drill, but this isn’t a reliable answer against heavy-pressure looks.
Though Dart has an intriguing skill set with a high ceiling, a sizable gap must be bridged between the offense he operated at Ole Miss and what he’ll be asked to do in the league. Ideally, Dart will get drafted to a team where he can sit, learn a playbook and clean up his footwork without live action. However, quarterbacks drafted in the first round are rarely afforded redshirt years. With Dart’s developmental gap, getting drafted in the second or third round to a team with an established starter would be the best situation. After Cam Ward, Dart could have the highest ceiling of any quarterback in the draft, and he’s only 21 years old.
(Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb opened up about why he and teammate George Pickens were benched for the first drive of the team’s blowout win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Lamb explained that he and Pickens were out late at a Las Vegas casino and were disciplined for returning past curfew. The wide receiver also said he wanted to refute reports on social media that he was seen throwing up at the casino the morning before the game.
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, left, celebrates his touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) during the first half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
“That’s a disrespect to even suggest that,” Lamb said, via The Dallas Morning News. “I know how to hold my liquor.”
Regardless of the benching, Lamb and Pickens had themselves a dynamite game.
Pickens had nine catches for 144 yards and a 37-yard touchdown catch. Lamb had five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown. Their touchdowns helped contribute to Dak Prescott’s incredible game as he was 25-of-33 with 268 passing yards and four touchdown passes.
2025 NFL ODDS: MYLES GARRETT IN RANGE OF SINGLE-SEASON SACKS RECORD
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy, left, celebrates his touchdown catch against the Las Vegas Raiders with Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb during the second half of an NFL football game Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)
Pickens, who was acquired by the Cowboys in the offseason from the Pittsburgh Steelers, has had a terrific year in Dallas. He has 58 catches for 908 yards and seven touchdowns, as he’s pacing for his best season yet as a pro.
Lamb missed a couple of games with an injury. He has 40 catches for 557 yards and two touchdown catches.
George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys celebrate a touchdown during the second quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 17, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The Cowboys, despite their stunning trade of Micah Parsons, are still hanging around playoff contention and have a big game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Dallas will enter the game 4-5-1 and Philadelphia will be at 8-2.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Sports
Committee organizing L.A. Olympic Games adds former House speaker McCarthy, other GOP leaders, to the board
LA28, the committee behind the upcoming Olympic Games, has quietly added high-profile Republicans with deep ties to President Trump to its board of directors.
The 35-member volunteer board now includes former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Bakersfield Republican who resigned in 2023, and Reince Priebus, who served as Trump’s chief of staff for the first six months of his first term and, before that, as chair of the Republican National Committee.
Diane Hendricks, a major GOP donor who has given millions to Trump’s campaigns, and Patrick Dumont, who owns the Dallas Mavericks, also joined the board. Ken Moelis, an investment banker who worked with Trump in the 1990s and predicted the then businessman would win the presidency in 2016, is also on the roster.
The Trump-adjacent inflow to the board of directors, first reported by Politico, is the latest sign of the president’s possible involvement in the Summer Games.
It is not clear why the directors expanded the board or the criteria used in the selection process. A spokesperson for LA28 did not immediately respond to questions.
Kevin McCarthy
(Associated Press)
Not all of the new board members are tied to the president. Los Angeles business consultant Denita Willoughby and philanthropist Maria Hummer-Tuttle were also named to LA28.
“We are thrilled to welcome this accomplished group to the LA28 Board who will help create an unforgettable Games for athletes and fans alike,” Casey Wasserman, chair of the 2028 L.A. Olympics organizing committee, said in a prepared statement.
Wasserman could not immediately be reached for comment.
Although past presidents have taken a largely ceremonial role when the Olympics are held on U.S. soil, there are signs that Trump is seeking more involvement. The 2028 Games coincide with his final year in office.
In August, he signed an executive order naming himself chair of a White House task force on the Games. The president views the event as “a premier opportunity to showcase American exceptionalism,” according to a White House statement.
Trump at the time noted that he’d be willing to send the military to Los Angeles to protect the Games. In June, he sent the National Guard and U.S. Marines to the city amid escalating immigration enforcement actions, prompting pushback from Mayor Karen Bass and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Wasserman attended the executive order signing at the White House and thanked Trump for “leaning in” to planning for the Olympics.
“You’ve been supportive and helpful every step of the way,” Wasserman told the president at the time. “With the creation of this task force, we’ve unlocked the opportunity to level up our planning and deliver the largest and, yes, greatest Games for our nation, ever.”
Sports
MLB commissioner addresses sport’s illegal gambling scandal, will cooperate with Congress on investigation
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Wednesday the league will cooperate with a U.S. Senate committee’s request for documents detailing gambling investigations.
“We’re going to respond fully and cooperatively and on time to the Senate inquiry,” Manfred said during a news conference at an owners meeting.
The sport has been rocked by a scandal involving Cleveland Guardians players Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, who are accused of aiding gamblers by taking bribes to rig pitches.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during the first round of the MLB Draft July, 13, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee sent a letter Monday to Manfred asking for information by Dec. 5.
The committee is asking for responses to six questions by that date:
- “How and when was MLB made aware of suspicious betting and game manipulation activity by Emmanuel Clase or Luis Ortiz? Provide documents sufficient to support your response?”
- “Provide documents sufficient to show MLB’s policies and procedures relating to sports betting, gambling, or game rigging by MLB or an affiliated team’s players, coaches, employees, or owners.”
- “List any investigation into an MLB or affiliate team’s players, coaches, employees, or owners for violating MLB rules relating to sports betting, gambling, or game rigging or related criminal conduct between January 1, 2020, and the present.”
- “Provide all documents related to any investigation listed in response to Request 3, including: Procedures and policies used to conduct any relevant investigation; Documents received by third parties or otherwise collected by MLB during any relevant investigation; and Findings, conclusions, and actions taken as a result of any relevant investigation.”
- Procedures and policies used to conduct any relevant investigation;
- Documents received by third parties or otherwise collected by MLB during any relevant investigation; and
- Findings, conclusions, and actions taken as a result of any relevant investigation.”
- “Provide communications between MLB and any sports betting platform or sports gambling integrity monitor regarding suspicious or flagged sports wagers: Placed by MLB’s or an affiliated team’s players, coaches, employees, or owners; or Placed on MLB games or propositions related to MLB games, players, or teams.”
- Placed by MLB’s or an affiliated team’s players, coaches, employees, or owners; or
- Placed on MLB games or propositions related to MLB games, players, or teams.”
- “Explain the extent to which MLB has addressed and plans to further address the alleged instances of sports betting, gambling, and game rigging that have occurred including: How, if at all, MLB plans to revise its rules, policies, procedures, or enforcement structure; How, if at all, MLB plans to revise or enforce its rules relating to cellphone use during games; and How MLB plans to ensure players, employees, coaches, and owners do not have ties to organized crime.”
- How, if at all, MLB plans to revise its rules, policies, procedures, or enforcement structure;
- How, if at all, MLB plans to revise or enforce its rules relating to cellphone use during games; and
- How MLB plans to ensure players, employees, coaches, and owners do not have ties to organized crime.”
Two days after the indictments were unsealed on Nov. 9, MLB said its authorized gaming operators will cap bets on individual pitches at $200 and exclude them from parlays.
“We think the steps we’ve taken in terms of limiting the size of these prop bets and prohibiting parlays off them is a really, really significant change that should reduce the incentive for anyone to be involved in an inappropriate way,” Manfred said.
MLB CRACKS DOWN WITH NEW BETTING LIMIT AFTER CLEVELAND PITCHERS CHARGED IN GAMBLING SCHEME
Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell of the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee sent a letter Monday to Manfred asking for information by Dec. 5. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Manfred said MLB’s internal investigation into the Cleveland pitchers didn’t have a timetable. Ortiz was placed on paid leave July 3 and Clase was placed on leave July 28.
“We think that we should take advantage of the offseason to make sure that we conduct the most thorough and complete investigation possible,” he said.
Both Ortiz and Clase have pleaded not guilty.
Clase and Ortiz were arrested and appeared in federal court in New York last week. Clase, a three-time All-Star, pleaded not guilty to charges that he took bribes to help gamblers win money on his pitches. Ortiz also pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Officials said in the indictment that, from May 2023 to June 2025, Clase agreed with one co-conspirator to “throw specific pitches in certain MLB games” so that the bettors they were allegedly partnered with “would profit from illegal wagers made based on that inside information.” Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme in June 2025.
The indictment said Clase conferred with one bettor to throw a ball on the first pitch of an at-bat when he was brought into games in relief. The indictment pointed to instances in specific games, including May 19, 2023, vs. the New York Mets; June 2, 2023, vs. the Minnesota Twins; and June 7, 2023, vs. the Boston Red Sox.
Clase allegedly began to request and receive bribes and kickback payments for agreeing to throw the specific pitches in April, according to the indictment. In one instance, the indictment said, Clase used his phone in the middle of a game to coordinate with a bettor on a pitch he would throw.
Bettors allegedly won $400,000 from betting platforms on pitches thrown by Clase between 2023 and 2025.
When Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme, the indictment said, he agreed to throw balls over strikes on certain pitches in exchange for bribes or kickbacks. He allegedly agreed to throw a ball on June 15 against the Seattle Mariners for around $5,000 in his first pitch in the second inning.
The indictment said Ortiz agreed to throw a ball in his first pitch of the third inning on June 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals for $7,000. In June 2025, bettors won at least $60,000 on pitches thrown by Ortiz.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Cleveland Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase’s leave was extended indefinitely Aug. 31, 2025. (IMAGN/AP)
The indictment announcement came weeks after three NBA figures were swept up in an FBI operation involving alleged illegal gambling. Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were among the more than two dozen arrested in the alleged scheme.
Fox News Digital’s Ryan Gaydos and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
LISTEN: Unhinged voicemail exposes left-wing candidate’s death threats against GOP senator
Scoop: Pro-Trump conservative grandson of Cuban refugees launches bid for Congress in Wisconsin
Teen allegedly kills three University of Arizona students in Porsche hit-and-run crash
Alabama teacher arrested, fired after alleged beating of son captured on camera
Pride-flag-carrying suspect accused of scrawling ‘anti-Christian statements’ on 3 NYC churches
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
Missouri attorney general takes new legal aim at mail-order abortion pills over safety concerns
US judge orders end to Trump’s deployment of troops in Washington, DC
Analysis: Why Democrats are warning about Trump giving illegal orders | CNN Politics
How to Fix a Typewriter and Your Life
Federal judge allows Texas AG to challenge Harris County bail reforms: ‘Unleashing criminals’
-
Vermont1 week agoNorthern Lights to dazzle skies across these US states tonight – from Washington to Vermont to Maine | Today News
-
Education1 week agoVideo: Justice Dept. Says It Will Investigate U.C. Berkeley Protest
-
Business1 week agoDeveloper plans to add a hotel and hundreds of residences to L.A. Live
-
Business5 days agoFire survivors can use this new portal to rebuild faster and save money
-
Southwest1 week agoFury erupts after accused teen sex predator dodges prison; families swarm courthouse demanding judge’s head
-
Culture1 week agoVideo: ‘Flesh’ by David Szalay Wins 2025 Booker Prize
-
Politics1 week agoMajor Pentagon contractor executive caught in child sex sting operation
-
Technology1 week agoAI-powered scams target kids while parents stay silent