Based on the quarterback options the Pittsburgh Steelers are staring down, 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers or a possible first-round pick are the paths forward this offseason.
That rookie quarterback could be a player like Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, a guy who has been heavily connected to the Steelers throughout the offseason as they continue to search for an answer at the position.
For NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, who mocked Dart to the Steelers at No. 21 overall in his latest Mock Draft 3.0, the fit is intriguing because of the similarities that the Ole Miss signal-caller has to Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jalen Hurts, whom current Steelers’ assistant GM Andy Weidl had a hand in drafting in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Appearing on the latest episode of “40s and Free Agents” with co-host Gregg Rosenthal, Jeremiah explained why he went with Dart at No. 21 to the Steelers, and why he feels he’s a strong fit for Pittsburgh vision and style of play.
“I don’t know who’s playing quarterback for them. And I ask myself a very simple question: do I think Jaxson Dart would beat out Mason Rudolph? And I think he would, sooner rather than later. And I also with Jackson Dart, I’ve used this before, but he, he does remind me of Jalen Hurts,” Jeremiah said of Dart to the Steelers in his mock draft, according to video via the NFL on YouTube. “Jalen Hurts, who wasn’t a finished product coming out, but when you watched him every year in college, he got better and better and better. They’re both strong, sturdy guys. You look at the way they can move around, obviously, Jaxson Dart doesn’t move around quite like Hurts does, but he rushed for over 1,500 yards in his three years in the SEC. He’s athletic. So all those things together, I thought, man, you could find some similarities there.
“And you look at it, Andy Weidl’s with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was with the Philadelphia Eagles. So I was just kind of putting a couple pieces together there and more so than anything else, it was like, is this guy better than what we have on our roster at the moment? And the answer was yes.”
With the way things sit currently in Pittsburgh with just Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson on the roster, Dart is probably a better player than those two, at least on paper. He brings a good deal of athleticism and mobility to the position, and can make all of the throws.
But he does come from an RPO-heavy scheme in college that could lead to a difficult transition to the NFL. But the comparison from Jeremiah to Hurts is intriguing. Weidl, of course, was there in Philadelphia when Hurts was drafted, and there’s a clear need for the Steelers, especially if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t sign.
That said, Dart doesn’t feel like a guy that truly elevates the team or is a ture franchise quarterback, which is a tough sell right now for the Steelers.
At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Dart measured in at 6022, 223 pounds with 9 1/2-inch hands.
In three seasons with the Rebels, Dart threw for 10,617 yards and 72 touchdowns with just 22 interceptions. He completed 65.7 percent of his passes under head coach Lane Kiffin and added another 1,498 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
He earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2024 and was named the Gator Bowl MVP after his final game with Ole Miss.
Dart has some good moments on tape and some jaw-dropping throws, but as Steelers Depot’s Alex Kozora wrote in his scouting report, he does a lot of things well but doesn’t have any elite traits. That’s not exactly a quarterback you want to take a chance on in the first round, especially in a poor QB class.
At No. 21 overall, it would leave much to be desired, but there is a fit from an athleticism, experience, and play-style standpoint where he could provide some additional QB-run options to the Steelers’ offense. The comparison to Hurts certainly raises eyebrows though
