After finishing their 2024 season with a 5-12 record and in fourth place in the NFC South, the New Orleans Saints have made several changes this offseason, including hiring Kellen Moore to be their next head coach.
While some things will be different in New Orleans in 2025, they’re set to have Derek Carr as their starting quarterback again for what could be his final season with the team.
With that in mind, the Saints have to prepare for their future, which should include finding their next quarterback, whether that be a veteran to replace Carr next year or a rookie to learn from Carr for a bit.
Earlier this week, the Sporting News’ Bill Bender projected that New Orleans will take the second path and use their first-round pick (No. 9 overall) on Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Dart, 21, played high school football and baseball at Roy High School in Roy, Utah, and Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah, before committing to the University of Southern California ahead of the 2021 season.
At USC, Dart appeared in six games, completing 61.9% of his passes for 1,353 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions.
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In 2022, Dart transferred to Ole Miss and went on to start 39 games over the last three seasons while completing 65.2% of his passes for 10,617 yards, 72 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,498 yards and 12 scores. This past season, he earned First-team All-SEC honors.
In New Orleans, Dart could compete with Carr for the starting job in 2025, or he could sit and learn from the veteran for most of the year and potentially all 17 games.
Going in the top 10 in next week’s draft still seems pretty high for Dart, as he’s been viewed as a Day-2 prospect throughout this process. However, if both Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, the top quarterbacks in this draft, go in the first three picks like Bender projects, there’s a chance that the other quarterback-needy teams start to get desperate. If they like Dart and are afraid someone will grab him before their next pick, taking him with their first might be their best move.
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