Marshall Thundering Herd edge rusher Mike Green had plenty of offers to leave the Group of Five for a Power Four contender. Instead, he stayed with Marshall and put together an incredible 2024 season and could hear his name called on Day 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Our Mike Green scouting report dives into everything you need to know about one of the Group of Five’s scariest defenders.
Mike Green Scouting Report
Size: 6’3 1/8″, 251 pounds (Verified)
Key Stat: First player since Will Anderson Jr. (2021) with at least 50 pressures and 45 run stops
Projected Role: Edge-rushing specialist with three-down potential
Also See: Top 300 Prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft
Strengths:
- Stupidly impressive bend, one of the best in recent years
- High motor
- Multiple highly-productive college seasons
- Special teams experience (Punt return, kick return, kick coverage)
- Developed pass-rusher
- Displays wide array of pass-rushing moves
- Explosive first step
- Finishes plays (26.4% pressure-to-sack ratio)
- Stout run defender, with strong base
- Productivity against Power Four
- Plus-athlete
- Sophisticated pass-rush plan, sets up primary moves well
- Wrestling background
Areas to Improve:
- Week-to-week competition concerns
- Play weight likely falls below Senior Bowl weight
- Limited to wide-9 and 7-technique alignments
- Benefitted from schemed pressures
- Occasionally loses outside leverage against the run
- Most run stops come on athleticism rather than polished technique
Ceiling: All-pro pass-rusher
Floor: Scheme-specific pass-rushing specialist
Mike Green NFL Draft Outlook
Mike Green has one of the highest ceilings of any defender in this draft, as he’s a polished pass-rusher with an array of moves that would make many current NFL players jealous. More than that, he has the best bend of any edge rusher in the last several classes.
There are times on film where you’re just awestruck that he’s able to dip around offensive tackles while maintaining his balance and forward movement. He can do it from both sides and his pass-rushing plan usually involves multiple steps, allowing him to both set up his primary rush and continue if he’s initially stopped.
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Of course, at the Group of Five level, there are some competition concerns. He had three sacks in four games against Power Four competition in two years at Marshall, including one last season at Ohio State. However, he’s slightly undersized and didn’t go through the grind of an SEC or Big Ten schedule like several other top edge rushers.
There’s also a bit of concern with his alignments, as he aligned as a wide-9 or 7-technique over 95% of the time in 2024. That being said, the ceiling here is tremendous and he can be an impact pass-rusher on Day 1.
Bottom Line: If your team needs an elite pass-rusher, look no further than Mike Green. His ceiling is as high as any prospect in this draft class and he has the potential to put up double-digit sacks from the start.
There’s sure to be an NFL learning curve, as he adjusts to a more complex system and higher variety of alignments. That being said, his pass-rushing arsenal is elite and his bend is borderline generational, and those things translate. Even if his real play weight is closer to 240 or 245 pounds, he has the ability to wreck offensive gameplans.
Draft Projection: Late Round 1-Mid-round 2
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