Meet New Seahawks Corner Shaquill Griffin
By Nick Lee
The Seahawks added 11 players in the NFL Draft last weekend, including four defensive backs. My job is to get you excited about third-round cornerback Shaquill Griffin by the end of this article.
The Seahawks drafted Shaquill Griffin out of Central Florida in the third round of the NFL Draft Friday night, 90th overall. He was the first and only true cornerback taken by Seattle, although it is well accepted that at least one of the safeties they drafted will also come down to corner.
The lowdown on Shaq Griffin is that he is flat out a good guy. First, he has a twin, Shaquem. Shaquem also played at UCF as a linebacker. He did so playing with an amputated left hand after losing it at age 4. Shaquill had offers to go to much more prestigious football programs than UCF out of the American Athletic Conference.
He had offers from Miami, Cincinnati, Minnesota, and Vanderbilt. He vowed to only play for a school that would offer his brother a scholarship as well. He turned down the Hurricanes and went two hours northeast of his hometown of St. Petersburg to play at the University of Central Florida, which offered Shaquem a chance to play beside Shaquill.
He also wants to be a motivational speaker. With his brother’s experience as an amputee playing major college football as well as where they came from, he wants to use his platform to create hope in young people.
Griffin’s combine numbers were good. He ran a 4.38 which was reported as the fourth-fastest time by cornerbacks as well as the fourth-highest vertical leap at 38.5″. His speed does not hinder his strength as he had more 225 pound bench press reps than top corner prospects Gareon Conley, Marlon Humphrey and Kevin King.
Don’t buy into his combine numbers? Stay tuned.
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Griffin is listed as 6’0″ and 194 pounds. He has 32 3/8″ arms and 8 3/4″ hands. Much like me liking curvy women with blue eyes and long hair, the Seahawks certainly have a “type” at cornerback. Richard Sherman is one of the taller cornerbacks at 6’3″ weighing the same as Griffin at 195. Griffin’s arms are actually 3/8 of an inch longer than Sherman’s. Sherman does have bigger hands but Griffin put out more bench reps and a faster 40 time. The Hawks like longer, leaner corners and Griffin fits that mold.
Griffin led the UCF Knights with four interceptions this past season. He was named Second Team All-Conference. He had 19 passes defended, which was fifth in the nation and first in the AAC. He appeared in games all four years and was a two-year starter. He notched a pick-six in each of his last two years. He faced some big programs like Michigan, Mizzou, Stanford, NC State, and Maryland. He totaled six interceptions, 27 passes broken up, 113 tackles including three for loss over his 34-game career.
What’s not to like about this kid? He also has Sherman-like dreads, which hopefully give him the same superpowers they give Sherm. Griffin should compete for the starting corner spot opposite Sherman and we should be excited about that.