Since the first NFL draft was held in 1936, there have been 12 Utah natives who have been taken in the first round.
Jaxson Dart could make that 13 next week.
The former Roy High and Corner Canyon star — who was born in Kaysville and started his college career at USC before excelling at Ole Miss the past three years — is one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2025 class and is viewed as a potential first-round draft pick.
The 2025 NFL draft will take place Thursday, April 24 through Saturday, April 26 in Green Bay, and Dart is one of 17 players who will be in attendance for the draft.
Which Utah natives have been NFL draft first-round selections?
For the purposes of this story, the Deseret News used the Pro Football Reference archive to determine Utah natives who have been first-round selections using two criteria — the player would be considered a Utah native if 1) they were born in Utah, and/or 2) they attended a Utah high school.
This does not account for players who attended BYU, Utah or Utah State but are not native to the state.
It’s been four years since a Utah native was a first-round NFL draft selection, and that year, there were two.
Zach Wilson, who like Dart went to Corner Canyon High, was the No. 2 overall selection by the New York Jets in the 2021 NFL draft.
Five picks later at No. 7, former Desert Hills High offensive tackle Penei Sewell was also a first-round selection, going to the Detroit Lions.
If Dart is a first-round selection next Thursday, he would join Wilson and Jim McMahon, the former BYU star who prepped at Roy High, as just the third Utah native taken in the first round of the NFL draft. McMahon was taken fifth overall by the Chicago Bears in the 1982 draft.
(Of note: Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young was born in Salt Lake City and would qualify for this list, but he was the first overall selection in the 1984 NFL supplemental draft, not the regular draft held each year. He started his pro career in the short-lived USFL before moving on to the NFL.)
Here’s a look at the previous 12 Utah natives who have been NFL draft first-round selections, what year they were drafted, their Utah ties and who drafted them.
Utah natives who were NFL draft first-round selections
- 1962 — Merlin Olsen, DT (born in Logan, Logan High, also Utah State), 3rd overall to Los Angeles Rams
- 1970 — Phil Olsen, DT (born in Logan, Logan High, also Utah State), 4th overall to Boston Patriots
- 1976 — Mark Koncar, OT (born in Murray, Murray High), 23rd overall to Green Bay Packers
- 1982 — Jim McMahon, QB (Roy High, also BYU), 5th overall to Chicago Bears
- 1987 — Shawn Knight, DE (born in Provo, also BYU), 11th overall to New Orleans Saints
- 1998 — Kyle Turley, OT/OG (born in Provo), 7th overall to New Orleans Saints
- 1998 — Kevin Dyson, WR (born in Logan, Clearfield High, also Utah), 16th overall to Tennessee Oilers
- 2006 — Haloti Ngata, DT (Highland High), 12th overall to Baltimore Ravens
- 2013 — Star Lotulelei, DT (Bingham High, also Snow College, Utah), 14th overall to Carolina Panthers
- 2017 — Garett Bolles, OT (born in Lehi, Westlake High, also Snow College, Utah), 20th overall to Denver Broncos
- 2021 — Zach Wilson, QB (born in Draper, Corner Canyon High, also BYU), 2nd overall to New York Jets
- 2021 — Penei Sewell, OT (Desert Hills High), 7th overall to Detroit Lions
Where Jaxson Dart ranks on 2025 NFL draft big boards
Dart is viewed as a top-three quarterback prospect by the majority of draft experts heading into next week’s draft.
Here’s a look at where these five big boards rank Dart among a quarterback group that includes Miami’s Cam Ward, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders — the top-two ranked QB prospects this year — Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Louisville’s Tyler Shough and Ohio State’s Will Howard.
Steve Muench wrote: “Dart’s timing and touch are impressive on passes thrown 10-19 yards from the pocket. He anticipates well and gets the ball out as receivers are making their breaks. He stands in and takes big hits to make plays. Dart extends plays, keeps his eyes downfield as he climbs the pocket and completes off-platform throws. Dart rushed for 1,500 yards and 12 touchdowns in three seasons at Ole Miss. His quickness, toughness and ability to make defenders miss allow him to be an effective scrambler or threat on designed quarterback runs.”
Lance Zierlein wrote: “Three-year SEC starter who saw improvement in play and production season after season. Dart has a stocky build and average physical attributes but good makeup and intangibles. He’s fairly accurate and rarely overcomplicates things for himself. He won’t strike anyone as a running quarterback, but he can find tough yards on the ground. He can make full-field reads but looks more comfortable grazing from the trough of the simple. He will need to work with better anticipation and decisiveness to win in tight windows as a pro. Teams might see physical and play similarities between Dart and Brock Purdy but such a pathway for Dart likely requires a balanced, ball-control passing attack that allows him to manage the game instead of driving it.”
Dane Brugler wrote: “A three-year starter at Ole Miss, Dart thrived in offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.’s spread RPO, heavy play-action scheme (No. 1 in passing EPA per dropback in 2024). After transferring out of USC once Caleb Williams arrived, he found a home with Lane Kiffin and left Oxford with numerous single-season and career records, including the Rebels’ all-time lead in wins (28), passing yards (10,617) and total offense (12,117).
“… Overall, Dart needs time to develop his progression-based reads and anticipation (things he wasn’t asked to regularly do in college), but he is a natural thrower of the football with promising mobility and high-level competitive intangibles. If allowed to develop at his own pace, he offers NFL starting upside in the right situation.”
Danny Kelly wrote: “Dart has below-average height with a muscular, athletic frame and plays with an aggressive mentality. A three-year starter at Ole Miss via USC, he throws a catchable ball and layers passes with good touch and placement. He is a big-play aficionado who never balks at the chance to throw the ball downfield, and he produced an FBS-best 17 touchdown throws of 20-plus yards last season to go with 29 big-time throws, per PFF (fourth most). He is a tough passer who shows no fear in the face of pressure, staring down the pass rush to get throws off before getting hit. He shows some escapability in the pocket to keep the play alive, and can make throws on the move. At times, Dart struggled throwing with anticipation and may need time to adapt to more progression-heavy passing games in the pros. He will spray the ball off-target when his feet aren’t set, and his deep passes will at times float in the air too long, slowing his receiver or giving the defender a chance to make a play.”
PFF wrote: “Dart brings an alluring two-sport throwing background (baseball and football) to the quarterback position, including natural movements and playmaking ability out of structure. But so much of his success at Ole Miss felt scheme-dependent. He must improve his full-field defensive reads and fundamentals to truly attack defenses with anticipation and ball placement.”
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
