The Las Vegas Raiders serve as a team that needs a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. Last year, they selected the high school teammate of a quarterback who may hear his name called early in the draft.
And now the possibility of a reunion has an eye-turning quarterback excited.
Jaxson Dart Excited Over Possible Reunion In Las Vegas
Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart has put himself squarely in the conversation to be the third quarterback taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. Dart has risen on draft boards as of late. His stock, while there are still nearly three months until the draft, is reportedly early- to mid–second round.
One of the teams with a high draft pick, as well as a need for a quarterback, is the Raiders. In addition to the sixth overall pick, they also hold high draft picks in the second and third rounds.
Dart’s high school center, Jackson Powers-Johnson, just finished a promising rookie season with the Raiders, one of their lone bright spots.
While at the Senior Bowl this past week, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal asked Dart about the possibility of reuniting with his high school teammate.
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart on possibly reuniting with high school teammate Jackson Powers-Johnson on the @Raiders pic.twitter.com/NM3utCPb3J
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) January 29, 2025
“I would love that, that’s my boy,” said Dart. “Obviously, everybody knows we were high school teammates. He was my center. He’s such a helluva talent. Every year, I was trying to get him out of Oregon and have him come play with me, but it’d be amazing and, with it also being close to home, it’d be a great opportunity.”
Both were a part of the 2021 recruiting class at Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah, and graduated early to join Pac-12 schools — Dart with the USC Trojans and Powers-Johnson with the Oregon Ducks.
Each found the field early in their college career. By his junior season, Powers-Johnson had emerged as one of the best offensive linemen in college football, winning the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s best center. Dart showed potential as a true freshman with the Trojans before deciding to transfer to Ole Miss.
From there, he blossomed into a tremendous college quarterback, throwing for 72 touchdowns versus only 22 interceptions. Normally, a Power 4 quarterback posting those numbers would warrant a high draft stock right out of the gate.
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That hasn’t been the case for Dart. Concerns were raised over the simplistic brilliance of Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin’s offensive system, which regularly schemes receivers open.
Dart was able to change some minds this week after reportedly looking better at each practice. Did he improve his stock enough for the Raiders to consider him with the sixth overall pick? That remains to be seen — but the opportunity to play with his former teammate in Las Vegas certainly doesn’t sound like a bad idea to Dart.
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