Taylen Green Has Tools – and Turnovers – Pittsburgh Needs to Know About

The Steelers brought Arkansas QB Taylen Green to Pittsburgh for a pre-draft visit and his combine numbers are legitimate, so is his turnover history.

Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green (QB08) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Pittsburgh has a problem and they just might be looking to Arkansas for a possible fix if they are willing to take the risk.

The 2026 NFL Draft opens in less than two weeks — in their own city, no less — and the Steelers still don't know who's lining up behind center when the season kicks off.

That's not a small problem. That's an organizational question that's been dragging on for years, and frankly, the Steelers don't have the luxury of waiting much longer for anyone to hand them an answer.

So they're doing what smart front offices do when uncertainty controls the room.

They're looking at options. Real ones. That also includes risks.

NFL insider Tom Pelissero confirmed Monday that Pittsburgh hosted former Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green for a top-30 pre-draft visit.

Top-30 visits aren't courtesy calls. Teams don't burn one of their limited pre-draft meeting slots on a player they aren't genuinely considering.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green (10) is sacked by Missouri Tigers defensive end Zion Young (9) during the fourth quarter at Razorback Stadium. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The Steelers looked Green in the eye and decided he was worth their time.

They've also met with Miami QB Carson Beck and North Dakota State QB Cole Payton for pre-draft sessions.

This isn't a franchise shooting in the dark. This is a front office working through a position group because the man they were counting on still hasn't picked up the phone and given them an answer.

That man, of course, is Aaron Rodgers.

Owner Art Rooney II said last month he expected Rodgers to give him a decision before the draft. That moment hasn't arrived.

And while Adam Schefter told The Pat McAfee Show that "we all believe he is going to be back, but he still hasn't given an answer," adding "if he hasn't given them an answer by the time the draft starts next week, do the Pittsburgh Steelers at some point in time draft a quarterback? It's kind of an interesting, little question that's sitting there until No. 8 weighs in" — the Steelers can't build a roster on belief.

They need facts. And right now, Green visiting Pittsburgh is one of the few facts they've got to work with.

Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green (QB08) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Numbers That Get Your Attention — and Ones That Don't

Here's where I have to be honest with you about Taylen Green, because the conversation around him tends to lead with the flash and leave out the full story.

At the combine in February, Green posted a 4.36-second 40-yard dash, an 11-foot-2 broad jump and a 43.5-inch vertical.

Those numbers will make you lean forward in your chair. They'd make any NFL personnel department lean forward. And they should.

That's legitimate, position-regardless athleticism from a 6-foot-6 quarterback with 9 7/8-inch hands who fits what scouts describe as a prototypical AFC North quarterback that's durable enough to absorb punishment when the pocket collapses.

The rushing production backs up the testing. Across five college seasons, Green rushed for 2,408 yards and 35 touchdowns between his time at Boise State and Arkansas.

He recorded 73 carries of 10 yards or more over his college career. That's a big-play threat with his legs, not just a guy who scrambles when things break down.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green takes a snap from center against the Notre Dame Fighting irish at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

But here's where the conversation needs to slow down a little and look closely.

In two seasons as the Razorbacks' starter, Green threw for 5,868 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also threw 20 interceptions. That's not a disqualifying number. Plenty of productive college quarterbacks have carried turnover concerns into the draft.

But it's a real number that matters in the context of what Pittsburgh needs.

The Steelers ranked among the league's worst offenses last season. They can't afford to install a quarterback who gives games away with his arm while he's still figuring out how to read NFL defenses.

At Boise State, Green threw for 3,794 yards with 25 touchdowns — and 15 interceptions over three seasons. So the turnover pattern didn't develop overnight.

It followed him from one program to the next. Green isn't a reckless player and he clearly has the talent to make plays that offset those mistakes.

Any team that drafts him needs to understand that cleaning up his decision-making under pressure is part of the developmental project. That work doesn't happen in Year 1. Maybe not in Year 2, either.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green scrambling looking to pass in a game against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-allHOGS Images

What Green Offers Pittsburgh — and Why It Still Makes Sense

None of that means the Steelers should look the other way.

NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his scouting report that Green is "a long, rangy, dual-threat quarterback with upside" who shows an "ability to generate explosive plays as a runner and passer."

Zierlein also noted that Green's "ability to win with his legs on called runs or pocket breaks pushes his value beyond his passing profile."

There is a follow-up to that everyone in the NFL uses. "His ceiling will only track with his growth as a passer," the report said.

That last line is the whole ball game right there. Green's floor is an athletic backup who extends plays and gives a defense something different to think about.

His ceiling depends entirely on whether he can become a reliable decision-maker in a real NFL offense.

The passing mechanics and pocket processing that need work aren't going to magically improve — they require coaching, repetitions and time.

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike McCarthy speaks at a press conference introducing him as the next coach of the Steelers at PNC Champions Club at Acrisure Stadium.. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

That's where Mike McCarthy's background becomes relevant.

The new Pittsburgh coach has spent the better part of two decades developing quarterbacks, including over a decade alongside Rodgers in Green Bay.

If there's a staff in the league capable of taking a raw, turover-prone dual-threat passer and building him into something more reliable, McCarthy's is a reasonable candidate.

Green was projected by Zierlein to be selected somewhere in the Round 4-5 range.

At that price, the risk is manageable. You're not betting your franchise on a player with a checkered turnover history.

You're making a calculated Day 3 investment in upside, with eyes wide open about what he still needs to develop.

Pittsburgh wasn't the only organization that liked what it saw. Pelissero noted Green had previously visited Baltimore and Dallas, with several additional teams scheduling private workouts.

The Ravens looked at him. The Cowboys looked at him. Those aren't organizations that waste pre-draft resources on players they don't believe in.

Green started at Arkansas for two seasons after three years at Boise State and earned Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors in 2022 along with Frisco Bowl MVP recognition that same year.

He added Liberty Bowl MVP honors in 2024. This isn't a prospect who's been hiding. He's competed, he's produced and he's earned postseason hardware while doing it.

Pittsburgh GM Omar Khan already used a sixth-round pick on Will Howard in the 2025 draft, though Howard's role in the offense has yet to be clearly defined.

Adding Green wouldn't replace that move, but would create real competition in a quarterback room that's been operating without nearly enough of it.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks to throw during the second half of an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

The Steelers need an answer at quarterback. They've needed one for a long time now.

Green isn't that answer today and anyone telling you he is isn't being straight with you.

He's a developmental prospect with genuine tools and genuine flaws. He's the kind of player who turns into something useful when a coaching staff commits to fixing what's broken.

Pittsburgh has the coach for that job. They have the draft capital.

Wth the draft landing in their own backyard on April 23, they don't have much time left to decide whether to use it.

Bringing Green in for a visit was the right move.

Whether they pull the trigger on draft day is the real question.

That answer, much like Rodgers' decision, hasn't come yet.