Film Room: Why Taylen Green Could Be a Steal for Browns

Rookie quarterback Taylen Green likely won't receive a big opportunity to start early in this season for the Cleveland Browns. But that doesn't mean he still can't make an impact and become a draft steal.

Nov 29, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green (10) comes onto the field prior to a game against the Missouri Tigers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns finally landed a quarterback that has the size to play in their division.

Even though the AFC North has changed since the days of Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco and Andy Dalton, the Browns had to have realized that Dillon Gabriel’s 5-foot-11 frame simply wasn’t big enough to survive in the AFC North. 

With the first pick in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Browns selected Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green.

The 6-foot-6 quarterback needs to be refined as a passer. He’s the fourth quarterback on the depth chart, and unless somebody is traded, it’s possible that the Browns could try and sneak him onto the practice squad, making him inactive on gamedays. 

But the Browns love data, and the former Arkansas quarterback had the third-best relative athletic score in the entire 2026 NFL Draft class, regardless of position. New head coach Todd Monken has stated that he wants a quarterback who is athletic with a big arm and can make explosive plays out of structure. If you take away Green’s mistakes, he fits that mold exactly.

How Green could be a steal for the Browns in 2026

The sixth-round draft pick isn’t expected to interfere with Deshaun Watson’s battle against Shedeur Sanders to be the starting quarterback of the Browns.

He’s a fun, raw athlete that needs to be refined as a passer, as his college tape shows plenty of inaccuracies passing the football. During his final season at Arkansas, Green threw 19 touchdowns compared to 11 interceptions. Over the course of his college career, he threw 59 touchdowns compared to 25 interceptions.

But he’s already 23 and played four full seasons of college football, starting 26 games at Boise State before transferring to Arkansas where he played another 25 games. The Browns have needed several quarterbacks just to reach the finish line of every season since Baker Mayfield led the team to the NFL Playoffs in 2020. At the bare minimum, Green has seen a lot of live bullets in college.

But immediately, the Browns could get creative with Green's athleticism. 

Last season, the Browns had plenty of success in the red zone utilizing Quinshon Judkins in the Wildcat offense. Unfortunately, the 22-year-old running back suffered a leg injury that ended a promising rookie campaign. With Judkins working back from an injury, it would be wise if the Browns scrapped that play, even though they found success with it.

But maybe that’s where Green could come in.

If Watson is the starter, the Browns won’t want him taking unnecessary hits, which has been a gigantic issue throughout his career. Watson has only finished 19 games for the Browns since the controversial trade that landed him in Cleveland back in 2022. Even if Sanders starts, Monken will need to protect his quarterback from unnecessary hits. 

But Green is big and athletic enough to avoid or absorb that contact. And he’s a threat to throw. Green completed 60 percent of his passes in college. It’s not like he was Uncle Rico Dynamite out there. 

If the Browns wanted to get creative offensively in Monken and new offensive coordinator Travis Switzer’s first season, they could install a package for Green to come in during short-yardage situations and around the goal line. 

If not? No worries. This was a sixth-round draft pick that will be Cleveland’s rookie minicamp arm and will have an opportunity to develop this preseason under Monken, who has worked some magic on lesser quarterback prospects during his longtime coaching career. 

Worst case scenario? Green never really plays quarterback for the Browns, who will likely want one last look at Watson, Sanders or both before the 2027 NFL Draft. If that's the case, the Browns could give Green a few preseasons to develop as a quarterback and try to trade him, similar to what the New England Patriots did with Joe Milton.

Or, after his rookie season, the Browns could try to convince the freakishly-talented athlete to entertain a position change to wide receiver or tight end, similar to former receiver Terrell Pryor, who played quarterback at Ohio State, but was a better athlete than he was passer.