From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on James Madison EDGE Jalen Green.
#10 Jalen Green/EDGE James Madison – 6002, 245 pounds (Senior)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Jalen Green | 6002/245 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | 19* |
*Pro Day Number
The Good
– One of the most productive defensive players in 2023, putting up 15.5 sacks and three forced turnovers for James Madison
– Has shown to be useful on stunts due to his elusiveness, which also helps with crossing tackles’ faces on each rep
– Disciplined edge who is able to sit and diagnose the play, which makes it hard for teams to take advantage of him biting on a fake hand-off
– Secure tackler who wraps up low and tight
– Really solid bend around the edge, which allows him to be nearly horizontal with the ground
– Plays the passing lane, which allows for pass deflections and interceptions
– Big-time player who shows up in big moments like third down or late game consistently
The Bad
– Don’t have athletic testing numbers due to not receiving a combine invite and not participating in JMU’s Pro Day besides the bench press, where he fell in the 34th percentile
– Undersized for the position with height falling in the 3rd percentile and weight falling in the 17th percentile
– Struggles to keep eyes in the backfield, which allows runners to slip by and pick up extra yardage
– Very raw hand usage with no real go-to move to dominate the lineman ahead of him
– Extremely disciplined player, which can make him miss out on instinctual plays
– Two season-ending injuries in the last four seasons raise durability concerns
Bio
– Nine starts in 47 games played for James Madison from 2019 to 2023
– 20.5 sacks, 97 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions in his college career
– 15.5 sacks, 50 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and one interception, which was returned for a touchdown in 2023
– Season-ending ACL injury in November 2023 and missed the entire 2020 season due to an undisclosed injury
– Three-star OLB in his 2019 high school class from Olney, MD
– At the time of committing, was the highest-rated recruit James Madison had ever landed
– Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year (2023)
– First-Team All-Sun Belt (2023)
– Second all-time in school history for single-season sacks
– Played basketball in high school
Tape Breakdown
James Madison’s Jalen Green is a legitimate NFL prospect for a multitude of reasons, but I believe one of the most important ones is his ability to make big-time plays in crucial situations. Right here against Virginia, Green is lined up as the five-tech outside of the right tackle. The situation is third and long pretty early into the game. Green gets off with an explosive burst and goes into the point of attack with power to the chest plate. After knocking the tackle back a little, Green goes for a dip move to finish the job of getting to the quarterback. It works, and the tackle is forced to try and hold green to prevent the sack. Green gets through anyway and forces the fumble on Virginia’s quarterback.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) April 7, 2024
Here against Old Dominion, Green is lined up five-tech outside of the left tackle. The situation is once again third down, but this time, it is a short-yardage situation in the red zone. Old Dominion runs a play-action rollout pass play towards Green’s side. Green goes unblocked, but due to his natural disciplined play style, he sits on the play-action deciphering where the ball is in case of a read-option. Once Green sees the quarterback still has the ball, he creates pressure while also jumping to disrupt the passing lane. Green seems to be very effective in disrupting this play, considering there was a wide-open wide receiver in the back of the endzone who was missed with a bad pass.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) April 7, 2024
Towards the end of the first half against Old Dominion, Green is lined up as the five-tech outside of the right tackle. The situation is third and long once again. Green initially attacks the tackle’s outside shoulder before crossing face back inside. The tackle struggles to recuperate his leverage against Green, forcing the quarterback, Grant Wilson, out of the pocket due to internal pressure. Wilson is then under pressure from Green’s teammate coming off the edge, forcing a quick incompletion to a tightly covered receiver.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) April 7, 2024
On the more critical side, here is a play toward the end of the Old Dominion game with a third-and-goal situation. Green seems to be lined up as the five-tech between the right tackle and tight end. He gets an explosive get-off and beats the tackle off his outside shoulder. The tackle struggles to defend Green’s quickness, which allows a free release. Green is then in the backfield, sandwiching Wilson between himself and his teammate.
Despite this favorable situation for James Madison, Green plays uncharacteristically aggressively and misses his sack attempt. This allows the Wilson to spin and roll out right. Meanwhile, Green loses balance and falls into his teammate. Wilson evades another defender before making a great throw on the run to his receiver, who catches the ball out of bounds. This is a very big break for JMU and Green, as this play very easily could’ve resulted in Old Dominion taking the lead in the fourth quarter. A dangerous situation that could have been avoided if Green played conservatively and didn’t initially miss the sack.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) April 7, 2024
Old Dominion is trying to take the lead in the fourth quarter. The situation is third and long, with Green being lined up as the five-tech outside the right tackle. Green gets a decent get-off attacking the tackle’s outside shoulder. He goes for a dip and uses his great bend to cut the corner for a direct line to Wilson. Green is then able to sack Wilson and force Old Dominion to punt the ball in a crucial situation.
— Steven (@Elspedd2) April 7, 2024
Conclusion
James Madison’s Jalen Green really is an intriguing prospect this year. I believe he is a late-round prospect who has boom or bust potential. Green, for sure, left his mark at James Madison. From the time he committed where he was the highest-rated recruit the school had ever landed and proceeded to have one of the best pass-rushing seasons in school history. However, as a prospect, he has major flaws that can hurt him at the next level. The one that stands out the most is how he has had two season-ending injuries in the last four seasons. This raises durability concerns for a guy who already has a limited amount of starts in college. He does show great polish despite the limited amount of starts with his solid discipline.
This discipline is why you’ll never see Green bite on play-actions and get caught with a read-option where the quarterback runs free off the edge. On the other hand, this discipline is the same reason he will miss out on instinctual plays due to thinking too much instead of reacting. I do believe size will be an issue for Green at the next level considering he hasn’t consistently shown me he can win with power in college. As well as, his shorter height makes it harder for him to keep his eyes in the backfield, which has been noticeable on tape. More often than not, on stunts where he is picked up by an interior offensive lineman, he will allow a running back or quarterback to sneak past him for a chunk of yardage. Green’s best ability seems to be his dominance in big situations.
All of the clips I provided above were on third down and a handful in the fourth quarter or very early in the game. As a rotational player, teams can use Green’s big-play motor in big situations where the starter may be tired. If his game translates, Green is very valuable as a rotational guy in the NFL.
Projection: Mid Day Three
Depot Draft Grade: 7.1MED – Rotational Player (Fourth Round)
Games Watched: Old Dominion (2023), Virginia (2023), Texas State (2022)
