A record-breaking day should bring only praise, but the story runs deeper. After surpassing the NFL Combine record that’s been held since 2003, a former Arkansas quarterback shared an honest truth. Despite all of it, NFL teams still see his color rather than his talent and hard work.

“I mean, I feel like I’m not trying to make this like a whole like race thing, but I feel like they definitely see my color and think I’m just gonna run or think I’m just a runner and really can’t throw or process things,” Arkansas QB Taylen Green said on the Outta Pocket podcast. “So I’m really, you know, RG3; I’m pretty sure you’ve been through that, been through that at this process too. So I was just trying to beat that stigma and just put everybody on notice that thinks that way, so.”

Taylen Green’s frustration is understandable since last season, he recorded 2,714 passing yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while adding 777 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns. Yet, the front offices are only concerned about his legs while ignoring his arm talent.

Now, NFL teams are expecting him to switch positions, like QB Logan Thomas and Terrelle Pryor. During the combine, NFL Network’s Stacey Dales even asked him about double-checking his move, and from there, the fear and pressure of switching positions started.

One of the major examples of someone who faced that situation is Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. Before the NFL Draft, some analysts and scouts said Jackson should change his position from quarterback to wide receiver because he was very fast and athletic. Former NFL general manager Bill Polian also said this. This happened even though Jackson won the 2016 Heisman Trophy at Louisville, which means he was the best player in college football that year.

Now, Taylen Green is expressing the same fear of scouts looking at him as a runner rather than a QB. Slowly, things are changing in the league. In the 2024 Super Bowl LVII, history was made when Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts became the first two Black quarterbacks to face each other in the championship game. But, indeed, this kind of success was not common in the NFL before.

For many years, most quarterbacks in the league were white players. While the landscape is changing, with the percentage of games started by Black quarterbacks doubling from 15% in 2011 to 29% in 2022, Green’s experience at the Combine shows that the old biases die hard, and the ‘athlete’ label remains a hurdle.

Former NFL quarterback Michael Bishop explained the entire situation they had to go through.

“They used to label us as athletes, athletic quarterbacks, instead of just quarterbacks,” Bishop said. “For a long time, I think for the Black quarterback, that stigma was a slap in the face, because, yes, we’re athletic, but we can play this position.”

Now, even though more Black players are showing up, like in the 2024 season, 15 of the 32 teams started Black quarterbacks in Week 1, but the challenges are still there.

“An African-American quarterback may throw an interception, but they describe it so much differently from the All-American white quarterback,” Bishop said. “You’re under a bigger spotlight; you’re under a magnifying glass.”

Now, even with all the chaos surrounding Taylen Green, he has shown in the NFL Combine why he is a strong QB. Green ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds, jumped 43½ inches, and had an 11-foot-2 broad jump. What’s interesting is that, as per ESPN research, these are the best numbers for a quarterback at the combine since 2003.

Before Green, Anthony Richardson had the best vertical jump (40½ inches) and broad jump (10 feet 9 inches) for a quarterback in 2003. The fastest 40-yard dash for a quarterback before Green was Robert Griffin III, who ran 4.41 seconds at the 2012 NFL Combine. So, there’s no way he can switch his position, but he does need to work on his skills ahead of the NFL draft.

Taylen Green’s possible NFL teams

Taylen Green is trying to fix all his inconsistencies before turning pro. He sometimes has trouble throwing the ball accurately. His footwork can get messy, which makes some passes miss the receiver or go too high. Improving his pocket presence is a key point of emphasis for NFL scouts. To fix these problems, Green is training with quarterback coach Taylor Kelly from 3DQB.

Kelly has worked with many NFL quarterbacks like Matthew Stafford, CJ Stroud, Jared Goff, and Bryce Young. At the NFL Combine, Green talked with about 20 NFL teams. He also had a longer meeting with the New York Jets. However, he did not get the chance to meet his favorite childhood team, the Dallas Cowboys.

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper says Taylen Green is the 8th-best quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft class. Before the NFL Combine, many scouts thought he would be picked in the middle or later rounds of the draft. But after performing well at the Combine, he might now be selected earlier than expected.

“If I have time to develop him over time, he’s the one that I’d be willing to take a shot on,” an NFC assistant general manager said to ESPN. “There’s a lot of creative things that you could do with him while he’s developing, but that type of profile is what you typically like to take a chance on.”

Ultimately, the team that drafts Taylen Green won’t just be selecting a quarterback with a rare athletic profile; they’ll be making a statement on whether they see a developmental passer or just another runner, which is a decision that will define the next chapter of his story.