The 2026 NFL Draft is in Pittsburgh! This draft season, we’ll be scouting as many of the top prospects that the Pittsburgh Steelers could have their eye on. We’ll break down the prospects themselves, strengths and weaknesses, projected draft capital, and their fit with the Steelers.
The aren’t many prospects who fit the boom/bust label more aptly in this year’s draft than Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green. Could he make sense for the Steelers?
The basics on Taylen Green
- Position: Quarterback
- Class: Fifth-year senior
- Size: 6’6, 227 pounds
- Age: 23
- Projected draft round: 5
Offensive stats via Sports Reference
Taylen Green scouting report
I’m not sure if there’s a 2026 NFL Draft prospect who’s
a more entertaining watch than Arkansas’ Taylen Green in this year’s draft class — a passer where I felt like every other play was clippable to highlight a negative or positive in his game.
Green’s 9.99 RAS score — yep, you read that 3.46-second 40-yard dash time correctly — verified what was already fairly obvious from watching him play. The 6’6, 227-pound quarterback is an athletic freak: big, fast, and with a tremendous arm.
Green’s ability to drive the ball is special. He’s an uber-aggressive passer who was able to generate enough velocity to routinely complete passes in incredibly small windows. He had several jump-out-of-your-seat throws in every game I watched. His flashes of high-end accuracy are beyond exciting.
But of course, that playing style was a double-edged sword. Green’s over-achieving mindset led to him forcing throws at an alarming rate. Many of his interceptions are rough watches, where you’re just not sure what he saw at any point to attempt the throw.
What made things worse was that a disproportionate number of those puzzling throws came in the fourth quarter. Often times, Green would just find himself doing too much. He threw 11 interceptions in 12 games in 2025.
Green’s accuracy isn’t quite as bad as his biggest detractors make it out to be, but there are still a number of misses on his tape. They tend to follow a common theme: he’s either off target high, or he puts too much mustard on a short pass and misfires. Again, he has flashes of great touch and placement, but there are too many inconsistencies at the moment.
But Green’s arm has truly elite potential, with a really promising deep ball.
There’s still room to improve there, as well. Green’s mechanics are still a little sloppy, with an elongated throwing motion and footwork that isn’t the cleanest.
And despite years of college starting experience, some of the finer mental details of the position still aren’t entirely there. Green consistently took a very long time to throw — taking numerous sacks running deep behind the line of scrimmage when he couldn’t out-athlete the defenders around him. And while you can see him working through progressions, he can take a while to get to his check down even from a clean pocket; pressure is a definite issue. He’s more of a see-it, throw-it passer.
So although the potential with Green is undeniably off the charts, you do have to wonder just how much more he will develop at the NFL level if he still looks like a project after nearly 1,200 pass attempts in college.
Of course, passing isn’t the only thing Green brings to the table. He’s also an incredibly productive runner who gained over 600 yards on the ground in both of his seasons at Arkansas.
With his lanky build, Green isn’t the shiftiest runner out there, but his straight line speed is downright scary for a quarterback his size, and he can put his shoulder down to gain a few extra yards when needed.
With his sub-4.4 speed, another reason to take a Day 3 swing on Green in the upcoming draft is that his athletic profile could contribute in more areas than just quarterback — he could even be a situational insert similarly to how Pittsburgh used Justin Fields when Russell Wilson was the starter.
Truthfully, I’m bearish on Green ever becoming a franchise quarterback in the NFL. That’s a big ask when there are so many red flags in his current profile. But if the draft value is reasonable — most Day 3 picks don’t amount to much anyway — and a team trusts its coaching staff, a quarterback-needy team would be wise to take a flier on Green’s sky-high upside.
Strengths
- Ball leaps off his hand; elite velocity and high-end range
- Can drive balls with accuracy into incredibly small windows
- Elite straight line speed
- Tall, athletic frame; could still add more weight
- Ability to throw on the run
- Throw-first quarterback despite rushing ability
Weaknesses
- Far from lacking in starting experience but still very raw in some areas
- Arm arrogance leads to constant “what are you thinking” throws, especially late in games; forgets safeties
- Accuracy can be spotty; often misses high
- Elongated throwing motion
- Lanky build limits agility and could result in some injury concerns
- Tries to extend plays by running backwards too much
- Appears to get to check downs a tick slow
What others are saying about Taylen Green
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
A long, rangy, dual-threat quarterback with upside, Green’s ability to generate explosive plays as a runner and passer helped keep his offense afloat. In-game consistency has been a sticking point, though. He has a long, unorthodox delivery and tends to baby too many throws. He can generate enough velocity and distance to stress defenses over the second and third levels. Green puts the ball in harm’s way at an alarming rate, which will translate to greater trouble against more talented defenders and more complicated coverage reads. His ability to win with his legs on called runs or pocket breaks pushes his value beyond his passing profile. Green’s upside will be tantalizing but his ceiling will only track with his growth as a passer.
Damian Parson, Bleacher Report
RPO and play-action passer. Green sells handoffs and runs fakes well from shotgun, pistol, and under-center formations. … Green fits the current archetype of game-changing quarterbacks that we’re witnessing in the NFL today, with the ability to throw the ball well enough to win and the athleticism to break the hearts of defenses on key third and fourth downs. … Green’s lower body mechanics are still inconsistent. He’s heel-clicky and toesy in the pocket after reaching the top of his drop. … Green needs to transition his weight properly to prevent being narrow-footed as he climbs the pocket, optimizing his accuracy and ball placement. … PRO COMPARISON: Shades of Terrelle Pryor.
Trevor Sikkema, PFF
However, he is still far too inconsistent as a passer. His footwork is OK, but it can be erratic. Pair that with a longer, sidearm throwing motion, and you have a faulty foundation for accuracy, evidenced by lower accuracy and ball-placement scores. He also doesn’t have the passing numbers you’d expect under pressure or on the run. Despite being a good athlete, he has a high sack rate, in part due to an average time to throw well above 3.00 seconds.
Taylen Green’s fit with the Steelers
Green is one of the Steelers’ reported top-30 visits. He fits the “big quarterback” mold the team seems to be interested in while showing a lot more potential than fellow top-30 visits Cole Payton and Carson Beck. He also might also go a round or two later than both.
Sometime on Day 3, I’d be all for the Steelers taking a chance on Green. Again, I’m by no means guaranteeing that it all works out, but this isn’t Anthony Richardson at No. 4 overall, but likely a mid-Day 3 pick. That’s when you draft a rare athlete and hope Mike McCarthy can be a quarterback whisperer. If Green can fine-tune his game and maximize his traits, he will be an absurdly dangerous weapon on offense.
TL;DR: Green is a big, lanky quarterback with a big arm, great velocity, and sub-4.4 speed. Despite starting multiple years in college his processing, accuracy, and decision-making are surprisingly raw, but his elite flashes in the passing game and rare speed for his position make him more than worth a late-round dart throw.
What are your thoughts on Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green? And which draft prospects would you like to see profiled next? Let us know in the comments below!
