The praise for Baltimore Ravens rookie Mike Green continues to mount.
The pass rusher impressed his teammates, coaches and the media with his performance in training camp and preseason. Now, former NFL quarterback and NBC analyst Chris Simms says he thinks Green will be “the steal of the draft” after falling to Baltimore in the second round.
On his “Chris Simms Unbuttoned” podcast, the former Tampa Bay QB raved about what he saw from Evans in the Ravens’ preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts.
Why Chris Simms Says Ravens ‘Struck Gold’ with Mike Green
“One of the greatest steals of the draft,” Simms said on a recent episode. “If he doesn’t have the off-the-field concerns in the draft process, he’s gonna go in the top 20, 25 picks of the first round. He was certainly viewed as one of the top-tier pass rushers to come out.”
Green’s production was second-to-none at Marshall in 2024. He led FBS with 17 sacks and was named a first-team All-American. At the combine, his 40-yard dash was among the best for his position.
Everything about him screamed first-round talent, but Green fell to the Ravens at No. 59 in the 2025 NFL Draft after concerns over stemming from allegations of sexual assault in high school and college. He was suspended at the University of Virginia before landing at Marshall where he showed the talent that impressed Simms.
The Ravens ultimately felt OK taking him at the end of the second round, and if he plays up to the first impression Simms has of him, it could pay dividends on the field for years.
“He fell to the second round, and yeah, I think they struck gold here. I think they (did),” Simms continued. “He popped right away … in preseason Week 1 to where you went ‘Wow, there’s something to this guy.’ So, one of the problems with their team over the last two years, if there’s a weakness, they haven’t been able to get there (to the quarterback) with just the front four.”
Green Improves One of Ravens’ Biggest Strengths
One might argue with Simms’ premise, as the Ravens were able to generate 54 sacks during the 2024 regular season while only blitzing 20% of the time. Only six teams in the NFL blitzed less frequently than Zach Orr’s defense.
What Simms probably could have noted was those 12.5 of those 54 sacks came from Kyle Van Noy. The veteran outside linebacker is 34 years, old, though, and relying on that sort of production again isn’t wise. In fact, the 12.5 sacks were easily the most of Van Noy’s career.
What would make Van Noy’s life easier, though, is more attention paid elsewhere. That’s where Green could be a major addition. According to Pro Football Focus, he won 30% of his pass-rush snaps in the opener against Indianapolis, while showcasing just about every tool he had in the toolbox.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein in his draft profile of Green compared the pass rusher to Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith. The Ravens certainly know just how effective the Steelers’ pass rush has been since Highsmith came on board with future Hall of Famers T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward on that fearsome front.
Now, as Simms notes, the Ravens might be able to do something similar. Anything close to last season’s production from Van Noy will be huge, and Green’s presence could further open up lanes for Odafe Oweh and Justin Madubuike to eat.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Ex-NFL QB Argues Ravens Got ‘Steal of the Draft’ With Second-Round Pick appeared first on Heavy Sports.