MOBILE, Ala. — Edge rusher Mike Green led the nation with 17 sacks and was named an All-American while playing for Marshall last season.
Green, who’s 6-foot-3 and 251 pounds, is one of the hot prospects at the 76th Senior Bowl, which is set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium at South Alabama.
The Falcons are in the market for what general manager Terry Fontenot calls “pressure players.” Those are player who can put stress on offensive scheme from any defensive position.
The group of edge rushers — defensive ends in 4-3 alignments and outside linebackers in the 3-4 — is deep at this year’s college all-star game.
“It’s ridiculous,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy when asked by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the group of pass rushers. “I’m really happy with the edge group we brought in here.”
The Falcons have had trouble rushing the opposing passer for most of the past decade. They finished 31st of 32 teams in sacks last season, with 31.
“Sacks (are) a really transferable stat, pressures and QB pressure rate, all that stuff,” Nagy said. “I mean, if you can get to the quarterback in college, like that really is one thing that carries over.”
Green, who started his career at Virginia, helped to lead Thundering Herd to the Sun Belt Conference title.
“You’ve got Mike Green from Marshall, a big prove-it week for him,” Nagy said. “He led the country in sacks with 17. Donovan Ezeiruaku from Boston College had 16.5 sacks. He was the ACC defensive player of the year. Kyle Kennard of South Carolina, the SEC defensive player of the year (who played at Riverwood High School and Georgia Tech). Josiah Stewart at Michigan, I mean, it is a loaded group.”
Green played six games as a freshman at Virginia and had a sack in 2021. After a coaching change, he did not play in any games in 2022. A native of Williamsburg, Virginia, Green jumped in the transfer portal and ended up at Marshall.
In 2023, he played in 13 games and finished with 4.5 sacks.
“New Start,” Green told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Everybody has kind of got their own reason for leaving their schools and stuff like that. We had new coaches come in. Marshall was just an opportunity for me to have a fresh start.”
Green took advantage of his new surroundings. He helped Marshall to a 7-1 mark in the Sun Belt, which included a 35-20 win over Georgia State on Oct. 17. Their only loss was to Georgia Southern 24-23 on Oct. 12.
“Marshall (was) a great time,” Green said. “We kind of had almost a completely new team. I want to say half of the guys were new or freshman. We stuck together and figured some things out on our own. We ended up winning the Sun Belt championship.”
Green has been busy at the Senior Bowl. He figured by the end of the week that he’ll have met with all 32 teams.
Green wants to show that he’s not just a one-year wonder from the Sun Belt Conference.
“I know sometimes there may be talk about some competition levels,” Green said. “I’m simply just out here for one reason and that’s to ball out and show that I can compete with the best of guys.”
Green plans to flash his skills on the field.
“I’ve got a lot of things in my toolbox,” Green said. “It’s all about the set up. Sometimes I go speed to power. Sometimes I just go speed. Sometime I’m spinning inside, outside.”
Green has had two strong days of practice and won several of his battles in the one-on-one drills.
“Mike Green was as advertised,” draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said on his Move the Sticks podcast. “Carrying his 251 pounds from Marshall. He was measured and weighed in the spring, and he was 236 pounds. He’s added a lot of weight over the last half of a year, and he carried it well (in practices). He had a bunch of wins.”
Ezeiruaku had three, 8.5 and two sacks in his previous three seasons at Boston College. He fits in the one-year wonder category.
“I just want them to see in person that I am a competitor,” Ezeiruaku told The AJC. “It’s real. This past year wasn’t a fluke. This is who I am as a person as well as a player.”
Ezeiruaku, who’s 6-2 and 248 pounds, must show NFL teams he can hold up against the run.
“Yes, I did speak with the Falcons,” Ezeiruaku said. “I believe it was the first day of interviews. … If they need a pass rusher, then I’m the guy for the job.”
Ezeiruaku has had some mixed results.
“I thought he was little spin happy (on Tuesday),” Jeremiah said. “I’d like to see him just win straight up. Use your length. Use your power.”
Stewart also is off to a good Senior Bowl start.
“Josiah Stewart still a fastball, from Michigan, off the edge,” Jeremiah said. “He was able to win on the edge with speed. He had a nice day (Tuesday.)”
One of the pressure-players to catch the attention of scouts and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was Virginia Tech defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles, who’s listed at 6-foot and 289 pounds. He kept busting up plays and stuffing runs in the backfield.
“I was blessed with being 6-1. … If I’m going to make money playing this game, it’s going to be that way,” Peebles said.
Peebles said he tries to play like Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett.
“Every kid growing up always looks toward Aaron Donald and Grady Jarrett,” Peebles said. “Just trying to compare yourself to somebody with a similar stature. I just so happened to be shaped like Grady Jarrett.”
He has studied Jarrett’s moves.
“The way that he just bounces around blocks, shoots gaps and disrupts offenses,” Peebles said. “(Those are) just some of the things I really want to incorporate into my game.”
After he broke up another run near the end of practice, Tomlin got up in his face to give him some motivation.
“That was huge,” Peebles said. “That’s what I dreamed of as a kid, getting coached by guys like Mike Tomlin. That’s literally, I have vivid memories as a mid-schooler, watching NFL games and praying that one day I’m getting yelled at by Mike Tomlin. I know that sounds crazy, but as a kid that’s what I dreamed to do.”
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