1-handed NFL prospect opens up before draft - 'not just a feel-good story'
Even though he’s a local celebrity in the Central Florida area, most people didn’t hear about Shaquem Griffin until recently.
The UCF linebacker, a 2017 second-team All-American and the 2016 American Athletic Conference’s defensive player of the year, was a big contributor during the Knights’ undefeated 2017 season.
But Griffin didn’t start garnering attention until he wowed scouts, fans and fellow players at the NFL combine. Griffin, who was born with a birth defect that led to the amputation of his left hand, had a combine for the ages.
First, he used a prosthetic to help him bench press 20 225-pound reps. Then he went out and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, the fastest time for a linebacker at the combine since 2003.
That performance improved his draft stock, with Sports Illustrated‘s Peter King even predicting he might get chosen as early as the third round.
But Griffin doesn’t want to be viewed as just a feel-good story — someone who overcame the odds to make it to the NFL.
He wants to make it in the league and prove he’s a great football player who happens to have a birth disorder, rather than someone with a birth disorder who happens to be decent at football.
“I’m definitely not just a feel-good story,” Griffin told the Tampa Bay Times. “A feel-good story doesn’t make it this far. I had to be a football player. I had to make plays.”
“A feel-good story is he has one hand and plays football. I worked my butt off so what they could say about me is, ‘He makes plays, he makes a difference and is a guy who can make turnovers. He’s a guy who can contribute to us winning,'” he added.
Griffin was definitely a playmaker at Central Florida. He notched 11.5 sacks and 20 tackles for a loss in the 2016-17 season, then followed that up with seven sacks as a senior the next year.
He also grades out highly with the analytics community. According to Pro Football Focus, “His pass-rush productivity score of 16.9 this past season was the second-best mark in the draft class among all edge defenders.”
Griffin’s twin brother Shaquill also played at UCF and was a third-round pick by the Seahawks in 2017.
Shaquem, meanwhile, doesn’t care when he gets drafted, instead indicating he just needs one team to believe in him.
“What I’m expecting draft night? All I need is one team to believe,” Griffin said. “There are 32 of them. I just need one to give me a chance.”
He appreciates all of the attention he’s received just for getting this far, but also made it clear he wants to be known more for his play going forward.
“I just can’t wait to be a guy ready to play football,” he said. “I’m ready to get to the rookie mini camp and get my career started.”
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