However, there is a reason he was drafted in the sixth round as his otherworldly athleticism needs to be complemented by more polish and refinement at quarterback.
As such, many might guess he’s landed in a great spot with rookie Browns head coach Todd Monken, who coached the aforementioned Jackson over the past three seasons, including as a Baltimore Ravens quarterback who earned a pair of All-Pro honors and another career MVP.
Monken, however, is hesitant to take too much, if any, credit for Jackson’s exploits.
“Well, I was lucky enough to get Lamar much later in my career, so let’s not …,” Monken said. “We did some things with Lamar, but he was already advanced. But you can see it with Tay. You can see from when he was at Boise to getting Bobby Petrino and the guys at Arkansas, he’s come a long way.
“You see that already and there’s still that next leap he can make. It’s exciting to have him out here and just let him play through some things. Obviously, this is the time for him to get reps. When we get into OTAs in the second week, it’s really going to diminish. You’re not going to see as much of him because of the numbers, but I’m excited about everything and he’s excited. What we’ve heard about him so far has been true.”
NFL hope and hype is eternal in the spring. All teams have the same record, no one has a cushion and optimism and ideas rule.
Monken has a QB competition to oversee though. It’s one with Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders leading the way with Dillon Gabriel being mentioned as still part of it. So, Monken has quickly extinguished any expectations that Green is a new entry in the competition.
However, it could still be used in special packs, an idea Monken said was “too early” to decide.
As confident as he is in his abilities, Green is keenly aware of his status, as his astrology does not preclude him from keeping his ears and eyes open.
“They have league experience and high-level success,” Green said of the Browns’ other quarterbacks. “So I’m just the young pup. I feel like a freshman again and just try to take it all in and learn the hard way. I’ll probably annoy them and ask a lot of questions, but that’s OK.”
Just how and if Monken will use Green will be intriguing from spring to fall, but for now, the Arkansas product is grateful the coach is considering him and happy and willing to do whatever it takes when his number is called.
“It definitely means a lot,” Green said. “It’s really cool. Just the vision he has for me. I’m just, especially my rookie year, I’m just here to help the team win. No matter what I have to do, I’m blessed to get this opportunity and blessed to have them pick me because not a lot of people get that opportunity. So if it’s just running somebody over to get that touchdown, I’m going to run over.”