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Shaquem Griffin's NFL Combine Performance Was Among All-Time Best

Shaquem Griffin's NFL Combine Performance Was Among All-Time Best

Shaquem Griffin received his NFL Combine invite — better late than never — and all he did was set Lucas Oil Field ablaze this weekend.

Mar 5, 2018 by Kolby Paxton
Shaquem Griffin's NFL Combine Performance Was Among All-Time Best

Central Florida Shaquem Griffin wasn’t a lock to receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine, despite being a second-team All-American linebacker with sprinter speed who was fresh off of a Peach Bowl Defensive MVP performance a little over two months ago.

So, Griffin balled at the Senior Bowl in February, picking up Practice Player of the Week honors in advance of the all-star game. After that, what should have been an inevitable invite all along was finally extended.

And, boy, did he take advantage of the opportunity this past weekend in Indianapolis.

In case you’ve been sleeping beneath a rock for the past two-plus years, Griffin — the twin brother of Seattle Seahawks defensive back Shaquill Griffin — was born with a birth defect that forced the amputation of his left hand when he was just 4 years old.

In spite of that, he was dominant at UCF and cannot be denied as a bona fide NFL prospect after what he accomplished in the past 48 hours. Namely…

Griffin Hit The Bench Press 20 Times

With a prosthetic strapped to his left arm, Griffin delivered 20 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press Saturday.


Then He Ran The Fastest 40-Yard Dash By A Linebacker In The History Of Laasers

Griffin clocked in at 4.38, a time that no linebacker has ever matched. The next-fastest linebacker in the 2018 class was Roquan Smith, who notched a 4.51.


Oh, And He Tied With His Twin Brother — Because Of Course He Did

Shaquill also ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at last year’s NFL Combine, which is sort of amazing. For what it’s worth, Shaquem also outweighs his brother by about 30 pounds.


He also clearly has a fan in Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll:


So, What Now?

The inconvenient truth is that NFL talent evaluators still hold prototypes dear to their hearts. They like big, tall quarterbacks. They like mountainous but athletic left tackles. And they like linebackers who have two hands.

That’s not a bad joke. That’s the legitimate reason it took an undeniable Senior Bowl week to get Griffin into the combine to begin with.

Griffin is a spectacular talent who, on paper, is nothing less than a mid-round draft pick. Anything lower than that will be a travesty.

But don't take my word for it...