Forget Arch, Sellers—Taylen Green the best SEC prospect per NFL draft analyst

The field has been set for this season's quarterback darlings. There's obviously Texas QB Arch Manning, who was essentially mauled by media members at SEC Media Days, much like the Beatles moving from the stage to their tour bus. There's John Mateer at Oklahoma who elicited various levels of swooning at SMD, too. Then there's the 'haven't-done-anything-but-have-impressive-potential' tier, boasting South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers and D.J. Lagway at Florida.

One QB's name that wasn't on the tongues of many was Arkansas' own Taylen Green. Last week, Andy Staples at On3 Sports didn't even include Green in his list of the top 10 QBs in the conference. However, he's considered a potential first-round talent by Pro Football Focus.

Green finds himself in this twilight zone of college writers not giving him the time of day, while some of the most experienced NFL prospect analysts seem to glow when talking about him. "How about we start with the best prospect in the SEC, Ross? That's Taylen Green out of Arkansas at the QB position," Emory Hunt Jr., founder of Football Gameplan and CBS Sports personality, said on the "Ross Tucker Podcast," Monday morning.

Former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker appeared taken aback by Hunt's bold statement, as he had set up the segment by listing all the names above. Instead, Hunt hit him with something out of left field. Not only does he believe Green's the best QB prospect in the SEC, but he thinks Green is the best overall.

Hunt compares Green to greats like Randall Cunningham, another Philadelphia Eagle, Vince Young, and finally, Colin Kaepernick.

"At the end of the day, he does fit the mold of all three of those guys," said Hunt. "This is the second season he's worked with Bobby Patrino. We saw that before... It was Lamar Jackson at Louisville."

The one caveat is Green's consistency. He's shown flashes of greatness. Hunt recalls Green's opening drive against Texas A&M, where he dipped under pressure and threw a 75-yard strike to Isaac TeSlaa on the third play of the game.

However, Green has had his share of head-scratching plays. Former Arkansas tight end and John Mackey Award winner DJ Williams and Arkansas high school coaching legend Kevin Kelly broke down a lot of issues that Green had last season. One thing to note is how they consistently discussed how, as former players and coaches, they'll bring up negatives disproportionately because that's how they were trained to watch film.

Tucker tried to compare some of the things Hunt said about Green to segue into talking about Sellers, but Hunt wasn't having it. Physically, there are some comparisons between the two QBs, but Hunt isn't impressed with Sellers' touch. He touched on Sellers' tendency to throw with one speed. "Everything's a fastball. You want to see [Sellers] develop more touch, and you want to see him be a little more consistent moving off of his first read."

Green may not have the media buzz of a Manning or a Sellers, but the right people are paying attention. While college writers continue to overlook him, seasoned evaluators like Hunt see a rare blend of size, speed, arm talent, and untapped upside. If Green irons out the inconsistencies and thrives under Bobby Petrino’s system in Year 2, the conversation will shift fast. He doesn’t need to win the press room. He just needs to win on Saturdays. And if that happens, the same voices ignoring him now might be the loudest singing his praises come draft season.