Back in February at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, whenever new Cleveland Browns quarterback Taylen Green lined up to do a drill of any kind, it was much-watch TV. It’s not just that Green is a very impressive 6-foot-6, which is big for any player, but especially so for a quarterback, it was also that he was posting the kind of athleticism results that one would expect from a jitterbug receiver.
Jeff Legwold of ESPN noted on the site, “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.”
Thus, when it comes to trying to find a quarterback to whom Green–a sixth-round pick from Arkansas–can be compared, it’s no easy task.
A Randall Cunningham Type?
Green was asked that question this weekend as the Browns held their first rookie minicamp and had a look at the new batch of 10 draftees, plus the undrafted free agents and a small handful of veterans. The answer that came from his dad might have been the most eye-opening.
“To be honest, no,” Green said at rookie minicamp, via Cleveland.com. “I would say of course Lamar [Jackson], but he ain’t 6[foot-]6. Josh Allen is close, but I’m 230. He’s like 260. My dad says Randall Cunningham-ish. I really don’t think there’s anybody like me. Not in a like cocky (way) or anything, just some confidence. There’s nobody that moves like me, that’s as tall as me.”
Green was, no doubt, the weekend’s star attraction in camp and joked about his unique height. “Oh, it helps a lot,” he said. “The air’s a little bit thin, though. Oxygen a little bit thin, but it helps a lot to see everything.”
Cunningham was a star in the NFL for 16 years, a blend of throwing talent and athleticism that the league was unfamiliar with at the time. He was a 6-foot-4, four-time Pro Bowler who threw for 29,979 yards and also ran for an average of 6.4 yards per carry during his career.
Browns Could Develop Taylen Green
Like Green, Cunningham had a penchant for high-risk throws and interceptions were long a problem for him–he threw at least 12 picks in four straight seasons in Philadelphia. And that’s the rap on the Browns new guy, and why he was available in the sixth round despite his remarkable athleticism–he is far too mistake-prone.
Green was in college for five seasons, and his judgment and risk-taking propensity were in question all along. He did not improve it much, though, (he threw 35 career interceptions at Arkansas and Boise State) so it’s fair to wonder whether the Browns will better luck bringing him along.
But as Dane Brugler, the NFL draft guru for The Athletic, notes, Taylen Green is “one of the most physically gifted players in the 2026 draft class (at any position), Green is big, athletic and competes with NFL-required toughness. He is a playmaker outside the pocket (with both his arm and legs), and his highlight package is full of ‘wow’ moments.
“However, he is inconsistent working through his reads, and you hold your breath every time he throws over the middle.”
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