Jaxson Dart: Sitting on the bench would be an 'adjustment' in starting NFL career
On Saturday former Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart will have yet another audition in front of NFL scouts, executives and head coaches when the quarterbacks take the field inside Lucas Oil Stadium for the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
First on Friday Dart once again took the podium for his media availability. Former Ole Miss wide receiver Tre Harris also met with the media on Friday.
As usual Dart performed well in front of the mic, taking on a range of questions. But one topic was brought up that really has not been discussed much with him.
How would life as a backup quarterback for the first time since maybe high school be for him to start out his NFL career?
Something he has not been in his college career, starting at Southern California and then the last three seasons at Ole Miss. Of course being a drafted rookie quarterback, potentially holding the clipboard comes with the territory depending on which team drafts him.
“I’ve never sat on the bench before. So, that would definitely be an adjustment early on,” Dart said. “But I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all. I think it’s something that you can come into a situation and learn as much as you can. A lot of times when you’re in that situation, (you’re) playing behind a veteran quarterback who’s had a ton of success and just knows a ton about the game. So, you’ve got to be a sponge. And I think a lot of times, you’ve seen some of the most successful quarterbacks come out of situations like that. You can bring up Patrick Mahomes, as of late Jordan Love. And for me, I’m excited to just have the opportunity and compete wherever I go.”
Of course, yet another perfect answer from Dart who has aced nearly all his media sessions either at the Senior Bowl or leading up to this week’s combine.
The NFL Draft projections have Dart as one of the top three available quarterbacks along with Cam Ward and Shadeur Sanders. He has even moved up to the No. 2 quarterback slot by ESPN’s Mel Kiper and other draft prognosticators.
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One thing that will once again help Dart is he will be throwing Saturday when the quarterbacks take center stage while Ward and Sanders opted not to.
The Ole Miss great is mirroring his style after a certain Super Bowl-winning quarterback.
Of course the obligatory question at the draft media sessions is asking the draft prospect which NFL player do they model their style of play after.
Dart was not left out of this and his answer was an interesting one, claiming he sees a lot of himself in Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
The former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterbacks is fresh off winning his first Super Bowl and Super Bowl MVP, defeating the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this month in New Orleans.
“I think it’s a little bit of a cop-out because he just won the Super Bowl, but I love J Hurts and what he does,” Dart said. “I feel like I’m very similar in my play style to him. I feel like we can do a lot of the same things.
“Obviously, he’s an elite player and I’m trying to reach that level. But he’s been somebody that I’ve tried to resemble my game after just because of his versatility — being able to run and throw the ball, and just how strong he is in the pocket. That’s something that I’ve had a lot of fun watching, observing his play style.”
