The most intriguing story of this year’s NFL draft ended in tears of joy as Shaquem Griffin, whose hand was amputated when he was a child, joined his twin brother Shaquill at the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks drafted Griffin in the fifth-round with the 141st-overall pick. Shaquill joined the Seahawks last season and became a starter as a rookie.
“I couldn’t breathe,” Griffin told ESPN as he described the moment the Seahawks called to say they wanted him. “I didn’t know what to say. I was trying to get the words out, but I couldn’t talk.” Both he and his brother were in tears afterwards.
Griffin’s hand was amputated due to a pre-natal condition. He nevertheless grew up to star for his high school in track, football and baseball before winning an athletics scholarship to the University of Central Florida alongside Shaquill.
Some believed UCF had offered Shaquem a place just to curry favor with Shaquill. If that was true the coaching staff were soon pleasantly surprised: the linebacker was named American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year in 2016.
Shaquem drew attention at this year’s scouting combine when he bench-pressed 225lb 20 times, using a prosthetic hand, he followed that up by recording a time of 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash, the fastest ever by a linebacker – 4.65 is considered outstanding – and the exact same time as his brother managed last year.
UCF linebacker Shaquem Griffin has his landing spot in the NFL, after being drafted by the Seahawks with the No. 141 pick.
Griffin’s one of the best stories in the draft. He lost his left hand due to a rare prenatal condition, but it hasn’t stopped him from being one of the best prospects in the NFL Draft. He was one of the high-profile players invited to the green room in Arlington from the first night of the draft onward, and while he had to wait, he’s still one of the draft’s biggest stars.
Griffin was American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in his first year as a starter (2016), and never looked back. In 2017, he added a second All-American Athletic Conference nod and Peach Bowl MVP honor to his resume, while leading UCF to a undefeated season and first claimed national championship in school history.
Here’s why fans should be excited to have Griffin on their team, beyond the obvious — he’s much more than just a player who overcame a rare challenge.
1. He’s incredibly fast. No, seriously, he ran the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker EVER
Griffin’s NFL Combine was electric, and part of it was because of his 40-yard dash, which he absolutely crushed.
Griffin clocked in with a 4.38, the same time that his brother Shaquill, a current Seahawks corner, did in 2017 ... and his brother is DB-sized, not linebacker-sized.
WOW. WOW. WOW.
4.38u for @ShaquemGriffin!
The fastest 40 time for an LB since 2003.
: #NFLCombine LIVE on NFL Network pic.twitter.com/MkDdOHJ2XQ — NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 4, 2018
That time was faster than All-Pros like Ezekiel Elliott, Julio Jones, and Richard Sherman.
2. He makes big plays
Griffin has proved that having one hand is not a problem for him. He had two career interceptions and 11 pass breakups, along with 18.5 career sacks and tons of tackles.
Here he is battling for a fumble he forced, then coming away from the pile with it:
Shaquem can do it all.
3. He’s a national champion
College football’s playoff determines a true national champion, but for years, titles have been claimed by schools throughout the sport. So after they went undefeated in 2017, the UCF Knights claimed a national championship, despite Alabama winning the College Football Playoff.
Griffin is a winner, and the school’s got the national title claim to show it.
4. He’s strong!
The other eye-popping part of his NFL Combine performance was his bench press. He put up 20 reps of 225 pounds using a prosthetic on his left arm, with the whole linebacker room cheering him along:
Speaking to NFL Network’s Kim Jones after the performance, he said, “My adrenaline was going through the roof. I ain’t feel like I needed to stop. As soon as I heard 16, I was like ‘Oh yeah, I’m going for 20.’” Griffin added, “A lot of people didn’t think I was going to be able to do the bench press.”
5. He’s also got a pretty good mentor in Deion Sanders.
After he torched the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium during the combine on his 40-yard dash, Deion Sanders had to give him a shoutout on NFL Network.
Bench reps: 20
40-yard dash: 4.38
Meeting your idol: PRICELESS@ShaquemGriffin gets the surprise call from @DeionSanders.
: #NFLCombine LIVE on NFL Network pic.twitter.com/2TUlhJfGRW — NFL Network (@nflnetwork) March 5, 2018
But it was more than. Sanders said after they got off the call that he would give him his number to use him as a resource.
“I just want to make sure you have all the tools and the resources to be successful, on and off the field. I’m proud of you man,” he said.
There are worse mentors to have than Primetime. And now, Griffin will try to cement his own legacy in the NFL.
The moment Griffin got drafted is an awesome thing to see, too:
Media playback is not supported on this device Shaquem Griffin - the NFL prospect with one hand
Shaquem Griffin has become the first one-handed player to be drafted by an NFL team after being selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round.
The linebacker had his left hand amputated when he was four, having been born with a condition that prevented the fingers from fully developing.
The 22-year-old joins his twin brother Shaquill, a cornerback, in Seattle.
Shaquem Griffin was in attendance in Dallas to hear his name called at the 2018 NFL Draft.
He starred at college level, winning his conference's defensive player of the year award in 2016 and playing in an unbeaten University of Central Florida team last season.
He gained attention at the NFL Combine in March when he ran the quickest 40-yard dash for a linebacker since 2003.
Griffin also bench-pressed 225lb 20 times, three more than his identical twin managed, having attached a prosthetic hand onto the bar. Current NFL defensive stars JJ Watt and Von Miller were among those to react in awe on social media.
He said before the draft: "I want to show the entire world, no matter [if you have] one hand, two hands, if you're a ball player, you just play ball."
University of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield, who won the Heisman Trophy for best college player, was the first pick of the 2018 draft on Thursday.
The Cleveland Browns chose Mayfield, 23, to kick off a draft considered one of the deepest in recent history for quarterbacks as four of the top 10 players taken were QBs.
Cleveland also had the fourth pick in the draft and chose to take cornerback Denzel Ward of Ohio State.
Penn State running back Saquon Barkley went second overall to the New York Giants, and University of Southern California quarterback Sam Darnold was selected third by the New York Jets.
