Ravens Rookie Pass Rusher Wants to Showcase Complete Skillset

Despite having led the Thundering Herd and entire nation with a career-high 17 sacks and 23 tackles for loss in his final college season and proving down in Mobile, Alabama, that he is stronger than many draft analysts originally believed, he still fell to the second round, where the Ravens pounced. Meanwhile, Conerly was selected by the Washington Commanders in the backend of the first round.

The Senior Bowl was the last time Green wore pads prior to the start of this week, when the Ravens put them on for the first time in training camp. Padded practices are where trench players can finally let loose and showcase all the work they've put in during the offseason and put their physicality on display.

"I think finally coming out here, being able to put on the pads, I've been able to at least show what I'm capable of doing when it comes down to power rushing, setting the edge and things like that," Green said Tuesday. "[There] is always going to be room for improvement, but yes, it's been good so far."

While he is generating a lot of hype and garnering praise from teammates and coaches, Green's primary goals for his first training camp are to fulfill whatever role is asked of him, whether it's on special teams, scout team defense or rotating with the projected starters.

"Regardless of what my role is, I'm just looking forward to fulfilling it to the fullest," Green said.

When asked how much pride he takes in his ability to be stout against the run, he laughingly responded: "Probably a little bit more than I should" because of all those who doubted his ability to excel in that aspect of the game.

"When people think you have deficiencies, you're of course going to try to go out there and show them what you can do," Green said. "That's something that I've been trying to do. [I'm] trying to show also that I'm not just a pass rusher, but I can also set the edge and do power rushes against these guys at the highest level. So yes, I'm looking forward to it more, and that's just something I'm just going to continue to get better at."

The best run defender amongst the Ravens outside linebackers by far is third-year pro Tavius Robinson, who was able to quickly carve out a role for himself as a rookie doing just that on early downs. Green said the 2023 fourth-rounder is the player on the team he has gravitated to the most because he not only wants to improve his all-around skillset but also because he respects Robinson's tenacious work ethic.

"Just the way he goes about his day, just the way I see him work," Green said. "He's out here flying around. He's being very destructive, and I will say he does a lot of things right, so just seeing him ... I didn't really know about him too much before I got here, but [during] my time being here, that's definitely a vet that I can look up to and I can follow behind, because he does the right things."

Ravens pass rush coach Chuck Smith has been excited about Green's potential and singing his praises literally since they turned the card in to select him on the second day of the draft.

While Smith admitted that Green has still had to deal with a learning curve as the vast majority of rookies do when making the jump from college to the pros, he says the first-year pro is "earning his stripes" by competing at a high level and being strong at the point of attack against the run consistently now that the pads have come one.

"What I like most about Mike, is he just gives great effort," Smith said. "When you think of some of the great players around the league, what defines them is great effort, and that may help you make a lot of plays within itself. He has a great grasp for the defense. [Outside linebacker coach] Matt Robinson's done a fantastic job teaching him in coverage and things like that. When we talk about pass rush, Mike is all in. Mike is everything he was advertised to be. I think the fans are going to like what they see."