Taylen Green
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Taylen Green made his mark at the combine on Saturday.
This year’s quarterback prospect pool doesn’t boast a deep selection of future franchise quarterbacks, but one broke the mold in terms of athleticism on Saturday.
Arkansas’ Taylen Green put together one of the best NFL Combine performances ever by a quarterback. Green, who had been relatively under the radar in the draft process, hit a record 43.5-inch vertical jump, and he posted an 11-foot-2 broad jump.
Both jumps by Green broke Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson’s old marks from 2023 when he hit 40 inches on the vertical and 10-foot-9 on the broad jump.
Green also clocked 4.36 seconds for the 40-yard dash, the second-best time all-time among quarterbacks. Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick had the best time, 4.33, in 2001.
Vick went No. 1 in that draft to the Atlanta Falcons, and Richardson went No. 4 to the Colts in 2023, but Green will likely fall during Day Three of the draft. Green is 6-foot-6 and 227-pounds, so he has the size to go with the athleticism.
Taylen Green Sends Message on Position Change: Analyst
Green’s performance impressed so much that the NFL Network compared his performance to Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf in 2019 via a graphic.
Metcalf went 4.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash, and he hit 40.5 inches in the vertical. Despite the comparison, NFL Network analyst Charles Davis clarified that Green isn’t changing positions, which happens with some quarterbacks in the draft process.
“I just asked him very simply, ‘With the day you’re having and your build and everything else, have people approached you about doing wide receiver drills?'” Davis said during the broadcast. “[Green] said, ‘No, they have not.’
“I said, ‘What would you do if people did approach you to do wide receiver drills?’ … He said, ‘Absolutely not. I’m a quarterback,'” Davis concluded regarding Green’s comments.
That said, there are plenty of quarterback-needy teams in the draft, especially for depth.
Taylen Green Piled On the Numbers in College
Last fall, Green threw for 2,714 yards and 19 touchdowns, and he rushed for 777 yards and eight touchdowns for the Razorbacks. He proved to be turnover prone with 11 interceptions, a similar problem with Richardson when he came into the league out of Florida.
Green started his collegiate career at Boise State, where he played three seasons for the Broncos with 3,794 yards passing for 25 touchdowns versus 15 picks. He also rushed for 1,026 yards and 19 touchdowns in that span.
His success led him to Arkansas for the past two seasons, where he threw for 5,868 yards and 34 touchdowns versus 20 picks in a Razorbacks uniform. Green also rushed for 1,379 yards and 16 touchdowns in Fayetteville.
Not Just Taylen Green
Arkansas also fielded a strong performance from running back Mike Washington Jr. with a 4.33-second mark in the 40-yard dash, 39-inch vertical, and 10-foot-8 broad jump.
Washington rushed for 1,070 yards and eight touchdowns on 167 carries last season for the Razorbacks. He played for Buffalo from 2021 to 2023 before he transferred to New Mexico State and ran for 725 yards and eight touchdowns on 157 carries in 2024.
Washington is generally projected to land in the second or third round of the draft.