Prospect Profile: Mike Green, EDGE, Marshall

Evaluation

Get Off

He gets upfield ridiculously quickly and is lightning quick to threaten the Offensive Tackle with his explosion. His first step is always good, no matter the down, distance or situation but it’s his second and third steps that are frighteningly good and that give him elite upfield burst. He’s better in a two-point stance. He has excellent ankle flexion and bend to soften angles and he can dip his shoulder to take the edge.

Rushing the Passer

It’s not right to call him a pass-rush technician but he has some lethal moves and his athletic ability can give most Offensive Linemen fits, despite being a little light in the pants. He has a plan, it’s a good one and well executed, but it’s a simple one. He uses lightning fast and accurate hands to stay clean and compromise the half-man relationship for the Offensive Lineman. He has a highly effective cross-chop move and a wicked spin move as well as some more vanilla club-swim type moves. He uses these well in combination and marries his feet and hands well to keep the Offensive Lineman off balance. He can use his explosion and elite change of direction to give himself more margin for error with his hands. His hands are hugely effective in the moves he deploys and he has a good plan for using these against different Offensive Linemen. He does need to add more moves to his arsenal and he struggles to threaten better competition either inside or with power and he doesn’t yet convert speed to power effectively. You’d also like to see more consistency with his counters when facing better competition. Where he excels is in his cornering, where he has the bend and dip to take the edge and turn quickly to chase down the Quarterback. He can then use his explosive ability and his speed to chase down all types of QB and finish.

Defending the Run

He has good placement and timing in his hands when facing Gap blocks and he locks out to gain leverage to maximise his play strength. He IDs the run well and can use his athleticism to get himself in good positions to defeat blocks. He can fit his hands and pads well on the move and can deploy his processing, athletic ability and fast hands to get into the backfield and disrupt the running game with penetration. He will maintain gap discipline as an edge-setter but he doesn’t have the power to create knock-back or squeeze his gap. Against any pullers, trap blocks or kick-out blocks, he will diagnose them quickly and either beat them to the punch or take on the block and shed. As a backside defender you would like to see more dynamism and see him make more plays on the ball carrier from behind or when they make the bend read.

DRAFTED RAVEN COMP
Closest comp is Sergio Kindle as a prospect. I think Green will be a better pro but as a prospect he reminds me of the former Texas standout. Having said that, Green is slightly more polished and holds up slightly better against the run than Kindle could at this point in their careers.

PRODUCTION
Final year on campus: 17 Sacks, 10 QB Hits, 57 Total Tackles, 2 FF
INJURY HISTORY: None

RAVENS FIT
Athleticism 5
Intelligence 4
Versatility 2
Grit 4
Scheme 3