One-handed prospect Shaquem Griffin stars at NFL combine

There's always energy in the bench press room at the NFL scouting combine when players grip the crossbar and begin pumping the 225 pounds of free weights as everybody nearby counts the repetitions.
But never like this.
Even Shaquem Griffin, the one-handed do-it-all defender from Central Florida and a late invitee to the combine, didn't expect to do what he did Saturday with his prosthetic left hand .
His personal max was 11 reps, but he had a much more modest benchmark in mind here.
"My goal was six," Griffin acknowledged.
Griffin clipped his prosthetic hand onto the bar, then leaned back.
This wasn't his brother spotting him — the one who he was sure used to surreptitiously help him — but this new spotter was hyping him up and the crowd joined in as did his fellow linebacker prospects.
"Everybody in the stands was hyping me up. I got the guys I'm here with hyping me up. It felt amazing," Griffin said. "I was ready to go. I was ready to attack it."
His chest heaved.
And the counting began.
Twelve.
A new high.
Thirteen, 14, 15, 16.
The crowd was roaring is disbelief.
Seventeen.
Can this really be happening?
Eighteen!
That's one more than his twin brother, Shaquill, managed at last year's combine before the Seattle Seahawks selected the speedy cornerback in the third round of the NFL draft.
Nineteen!
One more, 20!
"I got chill bumps watching him do 20 reps," said NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. "I literally choked up a little bit watching him do that and I can't wait to watch him tomorrow."
On Sunday, Griffin was even more impressive. He ran a 4.38 40-yard dash during his first run at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, the fastest time in his position group since the league started clocking times in 2003.
One, two, three.
"I said, this thing feels like 135. Let's go!" Griffin recounted. "And I just started cranking them out."
Four, five, six.
That was easy.
Seven, eight, nine.
The crowd was hollering by now.
Ten, 11 — this was his personal best.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UN threatens sanctions over faltering peace deal in Mali

The UN Security Council on Wednesday gave parties to a peace deal in Mali until the end of March to show progress or face sanctions for obstructing the 2015 agreement. The council unanimously adopted a French-drafted statement that “expressed a shared sense of impatience regarding the persistent delays” in making the agreement a reality on the ground. Council members “expressed their intention to follow the situation closely and to respond with appropriate steps should the parties not implement the commitments” by the end of March, the statement warned. Islamic extremists linked to Al-Qaeda took control of the desert north of Mali in early 2012, but were largely driven out in a French-led military operation launched in January 2013. Mali’s government signed a peace agreement with coalitions of armed groups in June 2015 to end the fighting, but insurgents remain active, including in central Mali. Last week, the government and two other armed groups, the Plateforme and Coordin...
1 2 3 4

New Porsche 911 Turbo spied – next-generation of the all-weather supercar incoming

Image
Porsche’s next generation 911 Turbo spied with tell-tale side intakes and wide body. Should go on sale late in 2019 Prototypes of the next generation   Porsche 911   have been spotted multiple times already, but images have just surfaced of a development car sporting some telling details that suggest it might wear the famous   Turbo   badge. Some chunky wheelarch extensions and side-mounted intakes are visible in the spy pictures, signs leading to the assumption that - like the current 991 generation Turbo - the new car will feature a wider body than other 911s.   Judging by these images, the next 911 will probably do without any shocking changes to its aesthetic, rather the new car will focus on modernising the 911’s detailing without straying too far from Porsche’s comfort zone. At the front, the grille openings look to be shared with standard 911 prototypes that have already been spotted, expect these to be changed for production. Like t...
1 2 3 4

‘I can’t guarantee Sanchez’s stay at Arsenal’

Image
Arsenal’s Chilean striker Alexis Sanchez celebrates after scoring their third goal during the English Premier League football match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal at Selhurst Park in south London on December 28, 2017. Manager Arsene Wenger says he cannot guarantee that striker Alexis Sanchez will remain at Arsenal long term, after the forward scored twice in the victory at Crystal Palace on Thursday night. The Chile striker can leave for free this summer when his contract expires and he has been linked with a move to league leaders Manchester City, who failed in their bid to sign him on deadline day.When asked about the 29-year-old’s future, the Frenchman said: “Nobody knows what will happen. It’s difficult to speculate. “We are focused on short term, that means the next game with the players committed and ready to fight. It’s not a guarantee of how long you stay somewhere.“They are questioned, always, when people don’t have long contracts. The best way to show they are co...
1 2 3 4