NFL Draft prospect suggests racial component behind getting asked to switch from QB position
NFL Draft prospect Taylen Green starred with the Arkansas Razorbacks in college and made a lasting impression on scouts with his performance at the Scouting Combine.
He ran 4.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash, recorded a 43.5-inch vertical jump to go along with an 11-foot, 2-inch broad jump. The talk after his performance was about whether he would be willing to switch positions for a prospective NFL team.
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Green appeared on "Outta Pocket" with former NFL star Robert Griffin III and his wife, Grete, and made clear he had no interest in playing anything other than quarterback. He also suggested there was a racial component to him receiving the question.
"Just like Lamar (Jackson) said, I’m a quarterback. Draft me as a quarterback. I’ve always been a quarterback. Going into recruiting, people wanted me for different positions, I told them, no, I’m a quarterback. I’m not going to your school. I just always had that chip on my shoulder to prove them wrong. If Lamar did it at the next level and won MVPs … We had the same college coach so he definitely prepared me for the next level.
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"I’m not trying to make this a whole race thing, but I feel like they definitely see my color, and they think I’m gonna run, or I’m just a runner, can’t really throw or process things. RG3, I’m pretty sure you’ve been through that, been through that at this process too. I’m just trying to beat that stigma and just put everybody on notice that think that way."
Plenty of college athletes switched positions from quarterback to a different position. Julian Edelman did it when he played for the New England Patriots, and Terrelle Pryor moved from quarterback to wide receiver eventually – to name a couple.
Jackson, the current quarterback of the Baltimore Ravens, was seen as a possible candidate to switch from QB to wide receiver, but the mere suggestion of that caused a stir before he was drafted. He eventually stayed at quarterback and won two NFL MVP awards.
Green is seen as someone who could be a "good backup" with the possibility of being developed into a starter, according to NFL.com.
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