Revisiting pre-draft opinions on new Eagles OL Kenyon Green

Revisiting pre-draft opinions on new Eagles OL Kenyon Green

Kenyon Green’s NFL career has simply not gone to plan.

The Eagles’ return in the C.J. Gardner-Johnson trade earlier this week was a first-round pick back in 2022 and was considered to be one of the best interior offensive line prospects in that class coming out of Texas A&M.

Since then, Green has struggled. He played in 27 games (23 starts) in 2022 and 2024 and missed the entire 2023 season with a shoulder injury. When he has played, he hasn’t been very good. While you should take PFF rankings with a grain of salt, Green has been at or near the bottom among guards in both of his healthy seasons.

But it wasn’t that long ago that Green was a highly touted prospect and the Eagles are hoping that enrolling him in Stoutland University will help him fulfill his potential. The Eagles showed interest in Green during the 2022 pre-draft process and even had him to the NovaCare Complex for a 30 visit. Green was selected by the Texans at pick No. 15, which belonged to the Eagles before they traded up to 13 to draft Jordan Davis.

Now that Green is in Philly, let’s take a look back at what some experts thought of him in the lead-up to the 2022 draft:

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah

Jeremiah, who has long been considered one of the top draft analysts, had Green ranked as his No. 36 overall prospect by the end of the pre-draft season. Jeremiah dropped Green’s ranking throughout that spring from 17 to 21 to 28 to 36 just before the draft began.

Here’s what he said about him:

“Green is a big, powerful prospect with nimble feet and versatility. The 6-4, 323-pounder lined up at four of the five OL positions in 2021, and is at his best at guard. In pass protection, he has quick feet and can bend and drop his weight before shooting his hands. He has a very firm anchor versus power rushers. When he’s uncovered, he looks for work and delivers some de-cleating shots. In the run game, Green rolls his hips on contact and has the ability to wash defenders right down the line. He has the quickness to reach and seal on the back side. He is also very quick to the second level, but will get overaggressive at times and hit the deck. Overall, Green’s ability to create a firm pocket should be highly coveted around the league.”

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler

Brugler in The Beast had Green ranked as his No. 2 offensive guard in the class behind just Zion Johnson, who went 17th and has been a full-time starter for the Chargers. While Brugler gave Johnson a first-round grade, he gave Green a “1st-2nd” round grade and had him as his No. 27 overall prospect.

Here’s what he said about him:

“A three-year starter at Texas A&M, Green played the majority of his snaps at left guard in head coach Jimbo Fisher’s balanced offensive attack. After starting at right guard as a freshman and left guard as a sophomore, he was the only returning starter on the offensive line as a junior and was asked to fill in across the line, becoming the only NCAA player with 80-plus snaps at four different offensive line positions in 2021. A wide-based blocker, Green flashes explosive traits and physical hands to create movement in the run game or anchor in pass protection. Although he can catch himself thanks to his center of gravity, he will make things more difficult for himself with lunging tendencies. Overall, Green must fix the bad habits and penalties at the next level, but he does a great job staying balanced before and after contact with the mobility and brawling mentality to win his matchups. He should establish himself as a dependable starting guard early in his NFL career.”

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein

Zierlein gave Green a first-round grade and gave him a comp of four-time Pro Bowl guard Richie Incognito.

Here’s what he said about him:

“Guard prospect with NFL-ready frame who plays with an impressive level of consistency as a run blocker. Green moves defenders from Point A to Boint B against their will, using hand technique and road-grading leg drive. He possesses adequate foot quickness to operate in a variety of run schemes, but needs to eliminate his tendency to grab when his opponent is slipping away from the block. He has pop and anchor in pass protection, but lacks recognition and mirror technique needed to be at his best against athletic interior rushers. While Green has some areas to improve, his run blocking can be dominant, which gives him a chance to become a good starter very quickly.”

PFF’s Michael Renner

In his final rankings of the top 250 players in the 2022 draft class, Renner ranked Green as the No. 39 overall prospect and third among interior offensive linemen behind center Tyler Linderbaum at 16 and guard Zion Johnson at 24. (Renner had Tyler Smith at No. 25; Smith has played guard in the NFL but was called a tackle in this ranking).

Here’s what he said about him:

“Green will not only be coveted for his absurd movement skills for a 325-pounder but also because he started at every single offensive line position except center in 2021. He can get the job done at either tackle or guard.”