What lies ahead for combine darling Shaquem Griffin
Seemingly every year, there’s the story of a player who greatly improves his draft stock by showing out at the NFL Scouting Combine. It’s enough of a trope that even casual fans are aware of the cautionary tales — the players who were workout warriors but then turned out to be busts on the field.
Conversely, there are plenty of examples of players who showed poorly at the combine and ended up being among the greatest stars in the sport. Antonio Brown, Tom Brady, Terrell Suggs, Kam Chancellor — these are just some of the greats who were disappointments at the combine.
We’re all aware that the combine is generally a poor indicator of future success as a player. This year, however, it has elevated a marginal prospect who might have struggled to convince a team to draft him otherwise.
Shaquem Griffin was the hit of combine weekend, posting a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash and completing 20 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press using a prosthetic hand. Initially, he didn’t even receive an invite to the combine as, despite being a defensive leader on an undefeated Central Florida team, scouts questioned his ability to make the jump to the pro level, largely because of the limitations of his amputated left hand.
Following his impressive display, the perception has changed from Griffin possibly going undrafted to potentially getting taken on the second day of the draft. A slew of pundits now have him getting picked anywhere from the late third to the fifth round, a fine upgrade over potentially being undrafted and having a long shot to be on anything beyond a practice squad.
His twin brother, Shaquill Griffin, who plays cornerback for the Seahawks, mentioned last season that his team had been paying attention to Shaquem. For what it’s worth, a potential teammate in Seattle makes no mistake about his thoughts on the UCF standout:
The twins were state champions in track and field in high school, so it’s not only a sentimental tandem, but also an alluring one for a team looking to build speed. That past, of course, also might be used as a means to explain away the allure of his amazing 40 time. While Griffin is undoubtedly fast, a background in straight-line speed could goose those results, which don’t always translate to quickness in space on the field.
There’s also the matter of Shaquem’s weight. Though he was cited as a linebacker during the combine, his weight at 220 is just in the right spot for teams to be indecisive about whether he would be used as a linebacker or a safety. In some ways, the speed should further push him toward linebacker. While, sure, safeties need to be quick, the fastest players in the secondary are generally corners. The way defenses are now structured chiefly against the pass, it’s important to have linebackers who can take on receiving backs and the better pass-catching tight ends in coverage.
For some teams in certain formations, the difference between a safety and a linebacker is more or less interchangeable. That’s likely to help Shaquem’s appeal. Because he’s mostly considered to be of use on special teams, how useful he can be in other situations will greatly affect where he goes in the draft. After all, most teams aren’t spending a third-round pick on someone who is going to take up a roster spot solely on coverage in special teams. But if that player can also be an important contributor in coverage on third downs, that’s a versatile asset to have.
Ultimately, it largely depends on whether a team thinks he could potentially develop into a starter. At this point, he seems like a shoo-in to be drafted — and to be one of the best stories of the latter days of the draft. The Seahawks are a logical fit, but who’s to say there isn’t another team that has fallen in love with him enough to jump ahead of where the Seahawks value him? Given what we've heard following his impressive season and chatter-inducing combine, that's not an outrageous notion.
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