Shaquem Griffin Demands for Your Support, Not Your Sympathy
“Football is a two-handed player game, not a one-handed player game.”
These words surge through Shaquem Griffin’s mind every time he puts on his helmet. The echoes of cynics from his past groan louder in Shaquem’s head as he enters the tunnel with his teammates. It’s all that he can think about. Yet, it’s all that he wants to think about. The doubters only fuel his motivation to prove them wrong. All while doing so one-handed.
Shaquem Griffin, a standout linebacker from the University of Central Florida, is taking the professional football world by storm. He was the biggest story at this year’s NFL scouting combine due to his performance. The determination and grit that he exhibited at the combine can only be attributed to his past.
When Shaquem was four years old, he lost his left hand due to a rate prenatal condition. Regardless, he developed an affinity for football at a young age. He faced hardship early into his playing career, when an opposing coach told him that he could not play because he only had one hand.
“This was the first time I ever had to deal with somebody telling me I shouldn’t — or couldn’t — do something because of my hand. Like I was defective or something. Like I didn’t belong,” Griffin wrote in The Players’ Tribune. “And that was the moment I realized I was always going to have to prove people wrong.”
From thereon in Shaquem Griffin played with a purpose. He found ways to have a hard training regimen through ingenuity.
“My dad used to build all kinds of contraptions to help me lift weights. We had this one thing — we called it “the book,” and it was a piece of wood wrapped up in some cloth that I would hold up against the bar with my left arm when I bench pressed so my arms would be even. We had another block that I used for stuff like dips and push-ups, and I had chains and other straps to hold dumbbells for things like curls and shrugs.”
Shaquem and his brother, Shaquill, were offered football scholarships at UCF following high school. After redshirting in his first year, Shaquem fought to rise up the depth chart at linebacker. He struggled to get playing time in his first three years. In 2016, UCF hired Scott Frost as their head coach. He had a different approach to coaching than former coach George O’Leary, and this saw more snaps for Shaquem.
“Coach Frost came in and brought me back into the light… He gave me the opportunity I had been waiting for ever since I first arrived at UCF. And I took advantage of it.”
During his career at UCF, Shaquem posted 195 tackles, 122 solo, and 33.5 for a loss. He also racked up 18.5 sacks, three interceptions, and five fumble recoveries. His accolades backup his stats quite nicely. In 2016 he was named American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and in 2017 he earned a first team all-conference nod. As a senior, Shaquem was also a second team All-State selection in Florida. He was also the Defensive MVP in the Peach Bowl this year.
After going 13–0 in the 2017 season, Shaquem Griffin and three of his teammates were invited to the NFL combine at the end of February. From day one he made heads turn his way. Griffin ran a 4.38 second 40-yard dash; the fastest time ran by a linebacker in over 15 years.
Griffin ran the fastest 40 yard dash out of any linebacker at the combine. He finished 0.13 seconds before Georgia linebacker Roquan Smith, who is projected to be taken in the first round of the draft. He also out ran NFL stars Richard Sherman, Julio Jones, and Ezekiel Elliott.
Shaquem Griffin’s impressive combine was not over after the 40-yard dash. The next day he wooed NFL GMs during the bench press as well. Using a prosthetic left hand he was able to bench 225 pounds for a total of 20 reps. Griffin crushed original goal of six reps.
“When I started lifting weights, I remember I could barely bench the bar. I mean, I’m shaking all over the place, the bar’s falling and I’m like, ‘I can’t lift 45 pounds.’ But it just goes to show how much work I put in.’’
So what’s next for Shaquem Griffin? He will be drafted, but the question is when and to what team. According to a few analysts, Griffin will go anywhere from the third to fifth round. A NFC scouting director told NFL.com that Griffin has talent, but teams have concerns about drafting a one-handed player.
“If [Shaquem] doesn’t get drafted in the first two days, the system is broken,’’ All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman wrote on Twitter. “Productive and performed well at the combine. Played well against high level competition.’’
Shaquem’s draft stock should be heightened considering his performance at the combine. He has exhibited that he is able to make an impact on any defense with his speed. If anything, him being able to do so well in his last two years at UCF should show that he is a scary good athlete. He is aware that he is at a disadvantage because of his hand, but he has shown the determination to overcome it. He showed versatility in college and could play in either a 3–4 or a 4–3 system. He’s quick and has a high football IQ; that is certainly second day of the draft talent, if not better.
The notion that because he has one hand thus he cannot play at a high level is absurd. Shaquem Griffin has shown he can play well against some difficult opponents. In the 2018 Peach Bowl, for example, Griffin lit up nationally ranked Auburn’s offense. He has what it takes to play in the NFL without a doubt. He is not immediate talent, but under the right system he can eventually become a defensive star.
Who will draft Griffin? Just about any team with linebacker woes should give him a look. Currently, the only team who has had a formal interview with Griffin are the Eagles. “Right now, the NFL feedback is all over the place,” said Griffin. “I will say green is a good color for me, I will say that.”
Griffin’s versatility will help him out in the draft, where teams might ask him to play safety or linebacker. If he plays strong safety, teams like the Vikings and Eagles will likely show interest. The Titans and Jets are also in need of linebacker talent as well, so there is a chance that they could bite.
Regardless, Shaquem Griffin is not somebody to sleep on. He is a great story of how someone overcomes adversity to reach their goals. Instead of sympathy, Griffin would rather have your support on his pursuit to be drafted by a professional football team.
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