�����Ƶ

Three Marshall players have now been selected with the No. 59 pick overall.

Green is the highest-drafted player from Marshall since Aaron Dobson in 2013. He was also chosen at 59th overall. Vinny Curry went in the second round in 2012 at the same draft position as Dobson and Green. Both Curry and Dobson are Super Bowl champions.

Rasheen Ali was the most recent selection to the NFL from Marshall, chosen in the fifth round by the Ravens in 2024. He and Green will be teammates.

Awards won by Green

Green made four All-American lists in his redshirt sophomore season in 2024 �����Ƶ� first-team Walter Camp All-American, second-team AFCA All-American, second-team �����Ƶsociated Press All-American and second-team FWAA All-American.

He led the FBS in sacks with 17 and was named the College Football Network Edge Defender of the Year and the HERO G5 Defensive Player of the Year.

Green was the Sun Belt Player of the Year, an all-SBC first-team defender, Marshall's team MVP and the 2024 Marshall eternal captain.

He was also a finalist for the Hardman Award, given to the top amateur athlete in West Virginia by the West Virginia Sports Writers �����Ƶsociation.

By the numbers

Green�����Ƶ�s 17 sacks set the Sun Belt record and tied the Marshall record that was set by Cecil Fletcher in 1986.

He had a tackle for loss in 12 of Marshall's 13 games and recorded a sack in 10 of them. His career-high in tackles came with 11 �����Ƶ� a mark he hit three times against Western Michigan, Georgia State and Coastal Carolina.

Green had three sacks against Southern Miss, a career high, and had at least two in five games �����Ƶ� against Virginia Tech, Appalachian State, Louisiana-Monroe, Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina.

Green also forced three fumbles and caused 15 quarterback hurries.

Green sat out for both the Senior Bowl game and NFL Combine drills.

At pro day in Huntington, Green ran a selection of agility drills �����Ƶ� a 6.85 three-cone drill and a 4.25 20-yard shuttle. His three-cone time would�����Ƶ�ve been first among both linebackers and defensive ends at the combine. His shuttle was second among both with the same comparison.

Green was officially measured at 6-foot-3 and 1/8 inches and 248 pounds at pro day. His hand size measured at 8 and 2/8 inches, his arms at 32 and 3/8 inches and his wingspan at 77 and 6/8 inches.

While there have been questions with his size, Green�����Ƶ�s biggest number was linemen run over during Senior Bowl practices �����Ƶ� one.

The biggest riser of Green�����Ƶ�s stock came when he flattened Oregon offensive tackle Josh Conerly at the line of scrimmage in a practice drill.

�����Ƶ�You gotta think about it, every single doubt that someone had about me, I was able to counteract that with my performance and the way I play,�����Ƶ� Green said after his pro day. �����Ƶ�There are things about lacking physical attributes and lacking wingspan �����Ƶ� I continue to show that I�����Ƶ�m the player you don�����Ƶ�t think I am. The more opportunities I get to show that, the more I�����Ƶ�ll do so.�����Ƶ�

Green led the nation in sacks, was third in quarterback hits and was tied for 10th in pressures in Division I.

Against Power Four opponents, Green had five tackles, two for a loss, two sacks and a quarterback hurry against Virginia Tech. He had two tackles, one for a loss, and a sack for 11 yards against eventual national champion Ohio State.

Growth into the position

It all comes after Green made a transition to even play the edge rusher position. He was originally a three-star wide receiver recruit at Virginia who transferred to Marshall ahead of the 2023 season after being suspended from the Cavaliers for what he revealed at the NFL scouting combine was a second allegation of sexual assault.

Green spent a season at Virginia at linebacker before converting to his place on the edge with the Herd.

Green wasn�����Ƶ�t a full-time starter until 2024. Marshall defensive line coach Ralph Street once said that it spoke to his leadership �����Ƶ� allowing those in front of him to play while he sharpened his craft.

�����Ƶ�The thing about Big Mike is that I�����Ƶ�m glad the world finally has a chance to see what I saw every single day,�����Ƶ� Street said of Green on National Signing Day. �����Ƶ�Even in the 2023 season, we knew that Big Mike was coming.

�����Ƶ�Even though he surpassed guys, he was humble enough to stay right there and keep the team intact. It�����Ƶ�s refreshing and rewarding for me to see a good guy reap the benefits of his hard work.�����Ƶ�

Of course, that sort of positional transition doesn�����Ƶ�t come without the work that Street has given stories of in the past.

�����Ƶ�We talk often,�����Ƶ� Street said. �����Ƶ�That�����Ƶ�s my guy. I couldn�����Ƶ�t be prouder of him. I saw the work behind the scenes when nobody else was there. I remember, on our bye week, the phone rang at 7:20 or something. My wife said, �����Ƶ�I bet that�����Ƶ�s Big Mike.�����Ƶ� It was Big Mike. We love him, and we�����Ƶ�re extremely proud of him.�����Ƶ�

An unexpected draft fall

The two allegations against Green have been widely cited as to why he was projected as a first-round pick but wasn't selected on Thursday.

Green told reporters at the combine that he had never been questioned and denied wrongdoing in both instances, one of which was while he was at Virginia and the other in high school.

"�����Ƶ you can see, throughout this process I've been rising higher and higher and higher," he said, reported . "That should tell you everything that you need to know. I've been sticking to the process, like I said earlier, and I've been telling the truth. I have no concerns and I have no problem with talking to these teams about it because I know who I am and I know the truth."

Virginia declined comment to .

Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer reported Thursday that Green was "off some teams' boards" as a result of the allegations.

"There's accusations out there," Green said. "I've never been questioned. I've never been asked. You know what I'm saying? Like, nobody ever asked me a question about what happened before I departed from Virginia. It was just accusations that caused me to leave from there."

Giving back to Marshall

Marshall coach Tony Gibson didn�����Ƶ�t get the chance to use Green in his defense, as 2025 will be his first season in that role. He replaced Charles Huff, who departed for Southern Miss the day after the Herd beat Louisiana in the Sun Belt title game in December.

But Gibson speaks highly of Green�����Ƶ�s influence on Marshall�����Ƶ�s ability to pull more than 60 new players following the transfer losses the Herd suffered following the 2024 season.

�����Ƶ�My first meeting here, Mike was in it,�����Ƶ� Gibson said during a league coaches conference call. �����Ƶ�He asked a lot of questions, and then he stood in line outside for around 45 minutes outside of my office.

�����Ƶ�He said, �����Ƶ�Coach, I�����Ƶ�m going in the draft. Whatever I can do for this football program and this school �����Ƶ� I�����Ƶ�m here for you.�����Ƶ� He helped host recruiting visits during the month of December while he was here. He�����Ƶ�s a special young man. ... A guy like him being a first-round pick will be tremendous for our program.�����Ƶ�

Green also has a recent sleeve of tattoos that includes Marshall�����Ƶ�s logo on his right arm that he showed off during Marshall�����Ƶ�s pro day.

�����Ƶ�I love this university. I just got it tattooed on me," Green said after Marshall�����Ƶ�s pro day. "You can�����Ƶ�t say I don�����Ƶ�t love it. It�����Ƶ�s great."