Watch Shaquem Griffin run blistering 40-yard dash (video)
Shaquem Griffin was a late invite to the NFL Combine, but he continued his excellent performance with a blistering 40-yard dash on Sunday.
Somehow, UCF linebacker Shaquem Griffin did not get an invite to the NFL Combine until after the Senior Bowl. Being without a left hand since he was four years old may have been a factor, but Griffin’s showing in Mobile proved he should have been on the list of combine invites right off the bat.
With a prosthetic left hand, Griffin put up 20 bench press reps on Saturday. At 6-feet tall and 227 pounds, NFL scouts may view the reigning AAC Defensive Player of the Year as a linebacker-safety “tweener.” Griffin is an inspiring story, but he’s also doing well alongside his linebacker peers in Indianapolis.
The linebackers are going through on-field work in Indianapolis on Sunday. That of course includes the 40-yard dash, and Griffin registered a time not seen from the position in 15 years:
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/970364000704675841
Griffin’s unofficial 4.38 40 was the fastest from a linebacker at the combine since 2003. One of NFL Network’s favorite tools during the 40-yard dashes, the “Simulcam”, showed how Griffin’s run compared to a few of the faster times from guys at other positions.
Of particular note is Griffin beating the 4.41-second 40 time posted by running back Saquon Barkley:
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/970369462988767232
Simulcam also compared Griffin to his twin brother Shaquill, who was a third-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2017:
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/970372477414096896
Griffin did not do as well in his second turn at the 40, with an unofficial time of 4.58 seconds. NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock suggested NFL teams will average the times in an evaluation of Griffin’s speed, which host Rich Eisen backed up with the idea that teams do their own hand-timing of the 40-yard dash anyway.
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Griffin has been considered a Day 3 draft prospect to this point. But his intangibles appear to be off-the-charts, and after his combine showing he could put himself into the Day 2 conversation as a versatile defensive piece that would fit well in today’s NFL.