ORLANDO, Fla. — Not even three months ago, Shaquem Griffin, the University of Central Florida linebacker with one hand, was practically begging for an invite to the NFL scouting combine.
Now he’s been invited to the NFL draft later this month, and said he will be attending.
“I was a guy who was under the radar who they didn’t believe in at first but I feel like they’re starting to believe now,” Griffin said after his pro day Thursday. “I have the entire nation behind me now.”
At the combine, Griffin catapulted himself from a mere feel-good story into a national sensation and a player teams covet. He used a prosthetic hand to help put up 20 reps in the bench press and then clocked a time of 4.38 seconds in the 40 — the fastest of any linebacker in the history of the combine.
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When: April 26-28
Where: Arlington, Texas
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Wearing custom cleats that read “Against All Odds” and “Trust the Process” at Thursday’s pro day, Griffin put up a 37.5-inch vertical jump, which would have been sixth overall at the combine among linebackers, and performed the three-cone drill. When it came to catching the ball in defensive backs drills, he did have some drops, but the idea was to show his versatility since he doesn’t have a clearly defined position at the next level.
“I think I jumped pretty high today, so they say. I feel pretty good about that,” Griffin said. “I wasn’t worried about [the drops]. As long as I was getting out of my breaks good and showing good hips — shoot, it’ll give them a reason to sit down and think, ‘Well this guy can play everything.'”
From the feedback he’s received so far, a lot of teams, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, see him as a weakside linebacker because he can have his nose to the ball and still cover. A total of 31 NFL teams — all but the San Francisco 49ers — were in attendance Thursday.
New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Dennis Allen led Griffin in defensive backs drills, while assistant general manager Jeff Ireland looked on. Griffin recently met with the Saints and Tennessee Titans, meetings that included X’s and O’s work on the dry-erase board.
Regardless of when his name gets called or where he ends up, it will be the culmination of a lifelong dream for Griffin, who had always been overshadowed by his brother, Shaquill, now a cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks.
“I’ll be very emotional,” Griffin said. ‘I’ll cry a lot. My mom will cry even more, so there’s gonna be a lot of crying going on.”
After his workout, Griffin met up with teenagers Annika Emmert and Wyatt Falardeau, who both suffered from amniotic band syndrome. Like Griffin, they both had portions of their arms amputated and now have bionic arms.
Griffin asked them if they wanted to go out for ice cream, doughnuts and strawberry sodas.
“His motto is ‘Against All Odds.’ Everything he does is an inspiration to anyone like me,” said Emmert, 13, who dreams of becoming a pediatric oncologist and is an accomplished soccer player. “It’s just amazing what he’s done, what he can do — I’ve always always wanted to do something like that, especially in the future.”
The 15-year-old Falardeau, who also has autism and plans to write a book, has been equally moved by Griffin’s success.
“He could teach all of us that even though we are born different, that we can overcome and achieve bigger challenges like football,” Falardeau said. “He has not given up at all. He never quits. … I’m not kidding you — I’m motivated every single day by Shaquem.”
