Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green delivered the play of the week Wednesday in Mobile, connecting with Malachi Fields on a deep post that showcased everything NFL teams are chasing in this thin quarterback class. Not long after, he found open field as a dynamic runner. Those two plays reinforced a truth of the Senior Bowl and scouting: Tools do matter, and Green has them more than most.
Why Green’s Rushing Ability Changes His NFL Projection
The scouting community has spent two years calling Green a developmental project, and they’re not wrong about his pocket passing. His 60.7% completion rate ranked 114th nationally in 2025. His 11 interceptions tied for 10th-most in the country. The inconsistency is real.
But here’s what the “raw tools” narrative overlooks at times: Green’s rushing production isn’t projection. It’s already NFL-caliber.
Green rushed for 777 yards in 2025, ranking 11th nationally among all players at his position. He added eight rushing touchdowns, averaging 5.6 yards per carry on 139 attempts. Per PFSN’s metrics, he logged 73 designed rushes and 37 scrambles, meaning his mobility isn’t just reactive chaos. Arkansas schemed around his legs, and he delivered.
That rushing floor matters in a quarterback class without a consensus top-tier passer. Teams selecting in the middle rounds will face a choice: take a polished game manager or bet on a 6-foot-6 athlete who can already produce chunk plays with his legs while developing as a thrower.
PFSN’s Ian Cummings, who is at the Senior Bowl this week, captured the duality after Wednesday’s practice: “Taylen Green might not have been the best QB in Mobile definitively on Wednesday, but he was assuredly the most dynamic. And it’s easy to envision NFL teams being enthralled by his ultimate upside after his Day 2 Senior Bowl showing.”
Green’s 84.9 QB Impact Score from PFSN ranked 27th nationally, but his 90.0 Season OFFI placed him fifth in the country. He produced that number against the sixth-toughest schedule in college football. Arkansas went 2-10, but Green’s individual performance held up against SEC competition in ways the team record doesn’t reflect.
The Deep Ball That Changed Wednesday’s Practice
The play everyone is talking about came during team drills. Green stepped up in the pocket, rolled his hips through the pass, and drove the ball to Fields on a deep post. The receiver laid out for a spectacular catch, but the throw created the opportunity.
Cummings broke down the sequence: “Even Green’s deep throw was released a tick late, but Green still showcases the ability to discern opportunities deep and maximize his placement with layering and touch. And when he’s forced off his rhythm and out of the pocket, he chews up ground with his athleticism.”
Green did throw an interception to Skyler Thomas later in practice, attempting to layer a ball overtop coverage on the move. That lowlight underscored the processing questions that will follow him through the pre-draft process. His field vision remains inconsistent, and NFL defensive coordinators will test that aggression.
“That lowlight placed his field vision back under scrutiny,” Cummings noted, “but Green’s raw talent shined above all of it, and when he puts it all together, he can accomplish things few other QBs can on the field.”
MORE:Â Senior Bowl Day 2 QB Practice Observations: Taylen Green Shines, Cole Payton Shows Promise
The comparison that keeps surfacing is Josh Allen, and it’s not lazy. Allen entered the 2018 draft with a 56.2% career completion rate at Wyoming, elite arm talent, and rushing ability that suggested a different kind of quarterback ceiling. Green’s profile follows similar lines, with a more productive collegiate rushing resume.
Teams drafting in the third or fourth round will ask themselves the Allen question: Can we develop the passer while leveraging the athlete? Green’s Senior Bowl week suggests the answer might be yes, but only for organizations willing to commit to a multi-year development plan.
Cole Payton has been the steadier quarterback in Mobile. Diego Pavia brings a different skill set entirely. But neither possesses Green’s combination of size, arm strength, and rushing production. In a class searching for upside, that combination will earn Green real draft capital.
The next two days of practice and Saturday’s game will determine whether Green’s Wednesday performance was a flash or a foundation. For now, he’s established something important: his athletic gifts aren’t hypothetical. They’re producing results against senior competition, just as they did against SEC defenses all season.
