photo credit: Craven Whitlow
When highly athletic yet unpolished quarterbacks head into the NFL, they’re sometimes forced to switch positions to earn playing time.
Over the last few decades, Arkansas has had two play-callers join those ranks.
Matt Jones is perhaps the most famous among Razorback fans. He holds a special place in the hearts of many of the Arkansas faithful after four seasons as the Hogs quarterback. However, he agreed to enter the draft as a wide receiver for a better shot in the NFL. The switch paid off in the form of a five-year, $8.45 million deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who drafted him No. 21 overall in 2005.
More recently, Feleipe Franks entered the 2021 draft as a quarterback, but quickly switched to tight end after signing with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent. If he hadn’t digressed in the last two seasons of his career, KJ Jefferson almost certainly would have joined Franks and Jones in that club.
Is current Arkansas QB1 Taylen Green fated to do the same? Whether he can convince NFL teams that he should remain behind center at the next level is a multi-million dollar question.
Dane Brugler, The Athletic’s top NFL draft expert, is one of the people best positioned to answer it.
Exclusive with NFL Draft Expert
In Taylen Green’s first season at Arkansas, he showed flashes of greatness. His 6-foot-6 frame, paired with the sneaky-quick long strides and a powerful arm he displayed in 2024, makes him one of the more enticing prospects in his draft class. Being one of the fastest quarterbacks in the FBS helps, too.
For that reason, Dane Brugler slots Green as the No. 4 senior in The Athletic’s yet-to-be-published quarterback rankings in his position-by-position look at the top prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft.
The new series is a precursor to Brugler’s full-blown postseason NFL Draft preview known as “The Beast.” His lists are shaped by his 2024 evaluations and intel from NFL scouts, as well as the expected optimism from Arkansas’ coaching staff.
With that context, let’s look at who could join Green on Brugler’s list.
Drew Allar – Penn State
Cade Klubnik – Clemson
Garrett Nussmeier – LSU
Carson Beck – Miami (Fla.)
Mark Gronowski – Iowa
Haynes King – Georgia Tech
Miller Moss – Louisville
Sawyer Robertson – Baylor
The first three in the list above are likely to be drafted in the first couple of rounds. Perhaps the biggest name against whom Green would be competing for a third- or fourth-round projection is senior Carson Beck.
The former Georgia Bulldog transferred to Miami after initially declaring for the NFL draft, hoping to revive his career with the Hurricanes like this year’s No. 1 draft pick, Cam Ward. Unfortunately, his time in the Sunshine State has been anything but therapeutic.
From breaking up with his popular social media star/Hurricanes basketball player girlfriend, Hanna Cavinder, to having his Lamborghini stolen, Beck has faced nothing but distractions since arriving in Miami. That drama could give Green an edge.
After Beck, most of Green’s competition comes from underclassmen. That group includes Oklahoma’s John Mateer, Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt and Michigan State’s Aidan Chiles, all of whom are projected in the same range.
In an interview with Best of Arkansas Sports, Brugler said Gren “has the upside to develop into a really solid backup who could push for starting snaps at the next level, but it’s going to take time.”
To be clear, nobody is suggesting Green is on par with, say, Tyler Wilson, who entered his senior season at Arkansas projected as a potential top-10 overall pick in the following draft, at least according to one ESPN The Mag analyst. Green is still a legitimate NFL prospect, though.
His escapability is a big reason why. Like in Arkansas’ game against Auburn, when Green hit Isaiah Sategna for a 42-yard touchdown on third-and-19, the former Boise State Bronco has an outstanding ability to hurt teams outside the pocket with his arm and legs.
While Brugler admits it isn’t an apples-to-apples comparison, he likens Green to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. He isn’t the only one who has made the comp, as fellow NFL draft expert Emory Hunt made the same one, plus added Hall of Famer Randall Cunningham and college quarterback legend Vince Young.
“How about we start with the best pro prospect in the SEC? That’s Taylen Green out of Arkansas at the quarterback position.”@FBallGameplan explains why he’s so high on the Razorbacks QB: pic.twitter.com/zU1MB4DQ8f
— Ross Tucker Podcast (@RossTuckerPod) July 21, 2025
Throughout his college career, however, Green has yet to show the level of consistency it would take to break through as an elite college signal-caller and top draft prospect.
Last season, the second-year quarterback struggled with quick reads, sound decision-making and, of course, hanging onto the ball. While a second year under offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino may not be the cure to his ball security woes, it may help with his reads and decision-making.
Green’s Growing Confidence
Petrino recently said Green’s understanding of defenses is sharper, his accuracy is more consistent and his knowledge of the offense is better, all of which helps deal with the incredibly tight windows of opportunity in the SEC.
However, knowing the offense is only part of the equation; truly leading his team with that knowledge is another. There, Petrino says, Green has made another stride this offseason.
“Instead of having to run down the field and tell the receiver this, I’ll say to Taylen, ‘Hey, you go tell him,’” Petrino said. “Then sometimes I’ll start heading that (way) and he’ll be like, ‘I got it.’ It helps a lot.”
That evolving command lightens Petrino’s load, but it also points to real progress in Green’s understanding of the offense. Such growth is “why teams are kind of excited about him as maybe a fourth-round pick right now,” Brugler added. “We’ll see how the season goes, and maybe that can go up or down based off of this year’s performance.”
If Green can smooth out his reads, make quicker decisions, and trust his instincts now that he’s confident in Petrino’s offense, he won’t just be chasing the ghosts of athletic Arkansas quarterbacks past; he’ll be carving out his own NFL path.
#Arkansas QB Taylen Green’s tape is a bit of a rollercoaster, but I’m excited for the ride in 2025
🏈 NFL Size / Athleticism
🏈 Double-edged Sword; back-breaking plays that go either way
🏈 Proven to improve through adversity in-season
At his best: shades of Jordan Love pic.twitter.com/OIVBctV87a
— Fran Duffy (@FDuffyNFL) June 10, 2025
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For more from Bobby Petrino about Taylen Green after Tuesdays practice, listen here:
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