10 NFL rookies who improved their stock in Week 1 of preseason

4. Shaquem Griffin, LB, Seattle Seahawks

It was finally time for Shaquem Griffin to hit the field after a feel-good draft process that led to him joining his brother on the Seattle Seahawks. Griffin filled the stat sheet with a game-leading nine combined tackles. His start went almost as well as it could’ve, with four stops in his first four plays.

There’s room for Griffin to earn playing time beyond third-down situations, as the current weak-side linebacker is projected to be Barkevious Mingo. Mingo’s just a stopgap for Seattle right now unless he becomes dramatically better than what he’s ever shown. Seattle has zero depth besides Griffin at all linebacker spots, too, so he’s guaranteed to be at least a subpackage player.

Pro Football Focus was critical of Griffin, noting his struggles shedding blocks and missing his gap assignment on a first-down run. The former is a legitimate concern as it was at UCF but was already on the to-do list for improvement. Another factor in Griffin’s favor is that the weak-side role isn’t going to ask him to be a primary force player in the run game, instead chasing down instead.