Mike Green is a name NFL teams looking for an edge rusher should have at the top of their 2025 NFL Draft big board.
Entering the draft at 6-foot-4, 248 pounds, the former Marshall Thundering Herd star is coming off a breakout season in which he recorded 81 total tackles with a whooping 17 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. Although he wasn’t playing against the top programs in the country, his dominance was still very impressive.
How impressive?
In a deep 2025 NFL Draft class at the edge rush position, Green is ranked by Pro Football Focus as the second-ranked defensive end behind Abdul Carter with a season grade of 92.4, which ranks ahead of Carter. With great size, power and athleticism, look for Green to go off the board quickly come April and transform his elite skillset to the NFL level.
2025 NFL Draft: Mike Green is explosive off the edge
In ranking the top 50 NFL prospects, NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah describes Green as an “ultra-explosive and productive edge rusher” as supported by his outstanding season at Marshall. The question is can he continue to grow and become even more dominant in the NFL?
Jeremiah writes:
“He’s continued to add weight over the last year and checked in at over 250 pounds at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. In the pass game, he has an excellent get-off and he can convert speed to power. He has quick hands and wins with a dip/rip on the edge. He has enjoyed success with spin moves, but he gets a little too reliant on them at times. I love his effort to keep working and refuse to stay blocked. In the run game, he knocks back tight ends at the point of attack, and he can pop/separate to free himself for tackles. He is very disruptive on stunts and games”
3 interesting NFL fits for Mike Green
Instinctive and explosive, Green is one of the top edge rush prospects entering the 2025 NFL Draft. With his signature cross-chop move, the former Thundering Herd sack king should have no problem translating his game to the NFL level. In a draft deep at the position, Green should be one of the first edge rushers off the board. It’s just a matter of how high he will be taken.
Here are the 3 top fits for the outstanding edge rusher:
Atlanta Falcons: The Falcons selecting at No. 15 should be in the range of Green. A team that has ranked last in pressuring the quarterback since 2019 is in desperate need of a player like Green who can come in and be disruptive off the edge. The Falcons will have a few players to select from, but if Green is there at No. 15, he should be their top target because of dominance off the edge and his ability to play run defense.
Cincinnati Bengals: Even if the Bengals can solve the Trey Hendrickson contract conundrum and keep him in Cincinnati, one of the team’s biggest needs is to find another pass rusher to complement the star defensive end. Mike Green would fit the bill in his ability to create havoc on the other side of the line. If the Bengals can’t work things out with Hendrickson and Green is brought in as a replacement for Hendrickson, his relentless motor and ability to close in on quarterbacks will at least solve most of the pass rushing void.
Carolina Panthers: The Panthers at No. 8 could make Green a top 10 selection. Another team looking to beef it up in the pass rush area, Carolina would be an ideal fit for Mike Green because he is a high-volume sack master who would not only solve their pass rush woes, but also add some of that identity the Panthers are looking for on the defensive side of the ball.