However, there’s a reason he was a sixth-round choice as his otherworldly athleticism needs to be complemented by more refinement and polish at quarterback.
Thus, many could surmise he landed in a great spot with Browns rookie head coach Todd Monken, who coached the aforementioned Jackson the past three seasons, which included the Baltimore Ravens quarterback earning a pair of All-Pro honors along with his second career MVP.
Monken is reticent to take too much, if any credit, for Jackson’s exploits, though.
“Well, I was lucky enough to get Lamar a lot later in his career, so let’s not …,” Monken said. “We did some things with Lamar, but he was already further along. But you can see that with Tay. You can see from when he was at Boise to then getting with Bobby Petrino and the guys at Arkansas, he’s come a long way.
“You can see that already and there’s still a next jump that he can make. It’s exciting to have him out here and let him just play through some things. Obviously, this is the time for him to get reps. Once we get into OTAs in another week, that’s really going to diminish. You’re not going to see as much of him because of the numbers, but I’m excited. I’m excited for him. He’s a great kid and everything we’ve heard about him so far has been true.”
NFL hope and hype are eternal during the spring. Every team has the same record, nobody’s wearing pads and optimism and ideas reign.
Monken has a QB competition to oversee, though. It’s one in which Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders are leading the way with Dillon Gabriel having been mentioned as still being a part of it. So, Monken has quickly doused any expectations that Green is a new entry into the competition.
However, he could still be used in special packages, an idea Monken said was “too early” to determine.
Confident as he is in his abilities, Green is very much cognizant of his status, with his stellar measurements not excluding him from keeping his ears and eyes open.
“They have experience in the league and success at a high level,” Green said of the Browns’ other quarterbacks. “So, I’m just the young pup. I feel like a freshman again and just trying to take everything in and learn at a steep curve. I’m going to probably get on their nerves and ask a lot of questions, but that’s OK.”
Just how and if Monken will use Green will be intriguing from the spring through the fall, but for now, the Arkansas product is grateful that the coach is considering getting him involved and happy and willing to do whatever he has to when his number is called.
“It definitely means a lot,” Green said. “It’s really cool. Just the vision that he has for me. I’m just, especially my rookie year, I’m just here to help the team win. No matter what I have to do, I’m blessed to have this opportunity and blessed to have them draft me because not a lot of people get that opportunity. So if it’s just running somebody over to get that touchdown. I’m going to run somebody over.”
