25 most intriguing Seahawks: No. 24, LB Shaquem Griffin
Jun 19, 2019, 10:52 AM | Updated: 12:24 pm
Can Seahawks LB Shaquem Griffin find a pass-rush role in 2019?(AP)
(AP)
The Seahawks kick off training camp on July 25, and until then, Brock Huard and Mike Salk will count down the top 25 most intriguing Seahawks every weekday at 8:30 a.m. Their list continues with No. 24: Second-year linebacker Shaquem Griffin.
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Quick look
• Selected by the Seahawks in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft (details)
• Finished his final year at UCF with 74 combined tackles, seven sacks, and one interception.
• Had 11 tackles as a rookie with Seattle.
• 49 percent of rookie snaps were on special teams.
What Brock Huard says…
“Shaquem was the most intriguing draft prospect 14 months ago: a linebacker who ran a 4.3 40, and who plays with one hand. I mean, he was he was so doggone intriguing. And add in the fact that he ends up with his twin brother in Seattle. But last year was a bit of a rocky road. He gets thrown into the fire well ahead of the time he should’ve. He wasn’t ready to play in Denver in Week 1, he just wasn’t. He was not ready coming out of the system he came out of, where he was asked to just run around and make plays — and now he’s got to get to the NFL and take K.J. Wright’s spot in the season opener in Denver? You could see they began to target him, and he was struggling in coverage. And really, after the first couple weeks, did not get another shot to play linebacker. He got an awful lot of shots to play special teams and did that at a high level. But he has now watched this team draft two new linebackers, and switch him from a weakside linebacker to a strongside linebacker position, and he’s watched his job security go from 100 to 50, maybe.”
Why is he on this list?
“The reason he’s on this list is because of the positional change,” Mike Salk said. “That’s why I put him here. Every time I saw him play in college he was getting after the quarterback. And one of the things that makes him stand out is using that speed to come off the edge and get to the quarterback. The Seahawks didn’t use him to blitz or do anything rushing the passer at all last year, and that’s where he’s said he feels most comfortable. He’s so athletic — don’t they have to try everything to make it work?”
Griffin’s smaller size and preferred role will make it tricky for Seattle to find a spot for him. Will his speed be enough for the Seahawks to exhaust every opportunity to keep him on the roster? Brock Huard explains below.
Brock and Salk’s 25 most intriguing Seahawks:
