After a standout 2024 season where he helped Marshall defeat three autonomy conference opponents, defensive lineman Mike Green was selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. His selection marks another achievement for the Sun Belt Conference, which has had multiple NFL Draft picks in 21 of its 24 drafts since 2001.
In 2024, the Sun Belt continued its impressive draft history, registering six picks for the second year in a row. The conference’s record of nine selections came in 2023, with other notable years being 2020, 2022, and 2024. The Sun Belt has had six or more draft picks on six occasions, including 2010 and 2012.
Green, the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year, was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round with the 59th overall pick. This marks the Sun Belt’s highest draft pick since Louisiana’s Robert Hunt, who was selected 39th overall in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
Green becomes the 10th player in Sun Belt history to be selected in the first or second round. He joins a list of standout players including Pro Bowlers like Leodis McKelvin (Troy, 2008) and DeMarcus Ware (Troy, 2005). Green is also the fourth defensive player from the Sun Belt to be drafted in the first or second round. He is the third player from Marshall to be selected in the first or second round, following last year’s picks of Rasheen Ali and Micah Abraham.
In 2024, Green led the nation with a Marshall and Sun Belt single-season record of 17.0 sacks. He also ranked second nationally and in Sun Belt history with 22.5 tackles for loss. Green topped the FBS in several key defensive categories, including sack yardage (144), tackles for loss yardage (155), tackles for loss per game (1.73), and tackles by a defensive lineman (84).
Green’s exceptional season earned him First Team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Football Foundation and Second Team All-America accolades from multiple organizations. His efforts played a key role in helping Marshall win its first Sun Belt football title.
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