I don’t think you can ever invest too much in the quarterback position. It’s the most significant individual position in sport.
The Seahawks appear set. Sam Darnold is playing very well. He’s only 28-years-old and could be the answer for the immediate future. On top of that, they clearly like Drew Lock as a backup (he only turns 29 next month) and they recently used a third round pick on Jalen Milroe.
However, I don’t think this should prevent the Seahawks looking at the 2026 class. If there’s a player worthy of a pick, I think you have to consider it. Things change quickly in the NFL. Look at the Eagles as a good example of this. Carson Wentz went from MVP candidate, to watching Nick Foles win a Super Bowl, to being benched for Jalen Hurts and then bouncing around the league.
If you see a player who could be a potential franchise quarterback, you have to take that player seriously as an investment.
The more I watch of Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green I think he should be someone of interest who I would consider if I were the Seahawks. He’s an excellent talent with exciting pro-potential. I think draft media is sleeping on Green but I’m pretty certain the league isn’t. He has a very good chance to be a top-60 pick next year.
The Razorbacks are having a challenging season. They’ve fired their coach. They are 2-5 and winless in the SEC. Every time I’ve watched them this year I expect to see Green struggle. Yet even when they’ve been blown out (Notre Dame) I haven’t come away with a negative impression of their quarterback. Instead, the positives are striking.
He’s listed at 6-6 and 224lbs. He runs like a gazelle. His long strides chew up yards quickly and when he gets a crease and an opportunity to run, he’s difficult to bring down. His running style is reminiscent of Colin Kaepernick’s.
Green doesn’t just use his legs to run for gains though. He’s elusive and able to scramble away from heavy pressure to extend plays. He’s faced a lot of pressure this season and been forced to improvise.
Many quarterbacks who are strong runners rely on it so much that they’re often not the most technically accomplished passers. Green is very capable. He’s not Ty Simpson from the pocket but nobody else is in college football. There’s ample evidence of him attacking the middle of the field, delivering with poise from the pocket, going through progressions and running pro-concepts.
For the season he has 23 total touchdowns and five interceptions in seven games. He’s an experienced player who turned 23 on Saturday. He has 42 career starts in college, having previously played for Boise State before transferring.
Have a look at his highlights against Texas A&M yesterday:
The video is a snapshot of what he is. Let’s run through the plays:
— An improvised run starting off with a great little side-step to break contain and then make a +30 yard gain look easy
— A really decisive shot over the middle on 3rd and 9 with no wasted time for a conversion (so many college quarterbacks throw late on key downs)
— Touch throw over the middle and while the tight end is clearly very open, the pass is delivered with some layering
— Big time scramble for a touchdown — the kind of play opponents have to account for every down and in particular within range of the end zone
— Hugely creative play scrambling away from two separate pressures to extend, re-setting his eyes to the end-zone rather than continuing to scramble, then with an awkward body angle still generating ideal velocity on an inch-perfect red-zone pass for a touchdown with a tight-window throw — outstanding elusiveness and playmaking
— On 3rd and 6 he scrambles away from pressure and extends to the outside and then while moving to his left, still generates great velocity and accuracy despite the awkward angle to convert on the move with two defenders right in his face
— An example of decisiveness and his ability to snap, set, throw to the right receiver and fit throws into traffic
— Under-center red-zone concept, very much a pro-style touchdown pass
— Crazy, magical scramble where he goes from his own goal-line on fourth down with the game on the line and runs all the way to the Texas A&M 37-yard line
His QBR for the season is 90.9. Let’s compare that to some recent highly drafted quarterbacks:
Jayden Daniels — 95.6
Joe Burrow — 94.5
Bo Nix — 91.2
Taylen Green — 90.9
CJ Stroud — 88.9
Cam Ward — 88.7
Jaxson Dart — 86.3
Green is also well above the rest of college football when it comes to EPA. He’s at 63.5 and no other quarterback has an EPA above 60. Fernando Mendoza’s EPA is 42.4, Ty Simpson’s at 39.9 and Dante Moore is at 30.0.
Analytically and in terms of what you see on tape it makes for an exciting package.
Scouting quarterbacks is all about projection and there are plenty of reasons why physically gifted players don’t work out in the NFL. Sometimes it’s simply being drafted by teams like the Jets or Titans. Likewise, players with physical limitations but technical competency end up with Kyle Shanahan and play better than they would anywhere else.
It’s still important to look for players who can do special things. Green can do special things. He’s a dynamite athlete with amazing size and speed who can make massive gains on the run. He’s a defensive nightmare to game-plan for in the week. Yet despite all of this, there are enough examples of him operating from the pocket and delivering with poise, anticipation and accuracy without relying on table-setting play-calls.
To go back to the Kaepernick comparison — I think he’s basically the same athlete but a far more technical passer of the football. To me that makes him very, very interesting.
I’m surprised he isn’t talked about more. Perhaps it’s because Arkansas are struggling as much as they are, which shouldn’t reflect on him. Their defense is a disaster zone. They’ve lost games where the offense has scored 35 against Ole Miss, 31 against Memphis, 31 against Tennessee and 42 against Texas A&M. The defense is why they’re 2-5.
I suspect as the process goes along, eventually Green will rise from a media perspective when people hear what the league thinks of him. In terms of draft eligible quarterbacks, he might be the best combination of tools, talent, experience and upside. Alabama’s Simpson is the most impressive quarterback but he’s started fewer than 10 games.
Even with the Seahawks seemingly finding a quality starter in Darnold, I would keep investing in this position if the situation allows. It doesn’t mean going out of your way to avoid other more needy positions if good players are available in those areas. Yet the Eagles were derided for their decision to draft Hurts with the 53rd pick in 2020. That worked out OK — and it shows you should always have an eye on the position.
