Insider: Why Seahawks could take rising QB in first round

If the Seattle Seahawks want to take a swing on a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft, they’re in a tough position.

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The Seahawks hold the No. 18 pick, and the quarterback class isn’t considered to be very strong. The consensus top two signal-callers in the draft – Miami’s Cam Ward and Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders – are the only ones widely considered to be surefire first-rounders. Both are expected to be off the board well before Seattle picks.

With Ward and Sanders likely gone, would the Seahawks still try to find their quarterback of the future in the first round? It wouldn’t be a total surprise, according to an NFL Network insider.

During his weekly conversation with Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Wednesday, former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah explained why Ole Miss standout Jaxson Dart would be a viable pick for the Seahawks at No. 18 overall.

“I think it would be a good situation for him. I mean, he’ll get a chance to come in there and just learn and grow a little bit,” Jeremiah said. “I think he is someone that as he continues to improve and get better and clean some things up mechanically, just getting his feet in the ground first and foremost, I think you can look at him as someone who could be – I call them a playbook expander because of all the things he can do athletically and movement wise. I think he gives you a lot of options.”

Dart has started to generate buzz as a rising prospect, but he isn’t going in the first round of many mock drafts as of yet. He wasn’t in Jeremiah’s first-round mock draft or any of the three others recently posted from NFL.com insiders. ESPN’s Matt Miller had him going in the second round at No. 40 overall to New Orleans.

Jeremiah said Dart is his No. 41 prospect, but that might not mean much in this year’s draft.

“I don’t know that there’s much difference between pick 16 and 40,” he said. “If you just look at grades, my player that I have at 16 (or) 18 is gonna carry almost the exact same grade as a player I have at 45 to 55. It’s just however you want to slot them, which on the media side of things I’ve always said is harder because I’m not stacking for a team with a scheme and how we would use them.”

Dart’s surprising player comp

Dart was a three-year starter at Ole Miss and led the Rebels to at least eight wins in each season, including a program-record 11 in 2023. His passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage improved in each season.

He led the nation with 10.8 yards per pass attempt and topped the SEC with 4,279 passing yards and a 69.3% completion rate this past season. He added 29 TD passes to just six interceptions.

This connection ⚡️@JaxsonDart ➡️ @jordantwatkins pic.twitter.com/KuFZEmZH4p

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) January 3, 2025

Dart also showed some ability as a runner with 1,498 yards and 12 TDs on the ground during his three years at Ole Miss

Jeremiah made a surprising comparison between Dart and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is starting in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

“You’ve seen Dart get better every year in college,” Jeremiah said. “(He’s) respected by his teammates. I think (he has) good traits in terms of as a thrower, but nothing that’s elite, elite level. Neither one of them have huge, huge arms. But they’re just ultra, ultra, ultra competitive, and guys that I think just find ways to get things done.”

Hear the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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