Taylen Green of Arkansas put on a show and very clearly rocketed up the board for the 2026 NFL draft.
Former Arkansas football quarterback Taylen Green became one of the biggest stories of the 2026 NFL scouting combine due to a remarkable display on Saturday. ESPN has more:
"Green, who measured in at 6-foot-5⅞ inches tall and 227 pounds, ran a wide-receiver-worthy 40-yard dash in an official time of 4.36 seconds to go with a 43½-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 11-2. All three are records for quarterbacks since at least 2003, according to ESPN Research.
"Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson Sr., who was selected with the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, had the previous bests for a quarterback in the vertical and broad jumps in that span -- 40½ inches and 10 feet 9 inches respectively. Green's 40 time is now the first sub-4.4 clocking for quarterback since at least 2003. The previous best 40 for a quarterback was a 4.41 by Robert Griffin III, coming off a Heisman Trophy season at Baylor, at the 2012 combine.
"Green's performance comes in a year when the quarterback rankings, beyond the expected No. 1 pick of the draft in Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, are still in flux for many in the league. Green is the No. 8-rated quarterback in ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest position rankings.
"Green was a four-year starter in college -- two years at Boise State and two at Arkansas. This past season he threw for 2,714 yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions to go with 777 yards rushing as well as eight rushing touchdowns."
There's a reason Green, despite his dazzling athletic gifts and capabilities, is only the No. 8 quarterback on the board for Mel Kiper and other NFL draft evaluators. While the speed and the leaping ability are off the charts, the pure precision and polish of Green's throwing mechanics have invited a lot of scrutiny and did not deliver elite-level performances in college at Arkansas. Green could be compared to Jalen Milroe, who was taken late in Day 2 of the 2025 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks and did not have an impactful first season. Milroe is a freak athlete but not a polished quarterback. One can make the comparison between Milroe and Green and emphasize the point that perhaps such gifted athletes should be reslotted to other positions -- running back, receiver, hybrid, kick returner -- instead of being trusted to throw downfield passes.
There is no rule or law saying Taylen Green has to be a quarterback in the NFL. Nevertheless, he clearly made some money with his combine performance. One team is going to fall in love with these measurable numbers.