Shaquem Griffin is a linebacker out of the University of Central Florida looking to make NFL history later this year, and he took a big step toward that goal on Saturday.
Griffin was putting his talents on display at the NFL Combine on Saturday when he busted out some eye-popping numbers in front of scouts. He put up an impressive bench press performance on Saturday, doing 20 reps at 225 pounds (102 kg). But what made the feat so stunning is that Griffin doesn’t have a left hand.
The linebacker lost his left hand due to a prenatal condition called Amniotic Band Syndrome. Despite that, he shined at UCF and went into the combine ready to surprise people. Check him out on the bench and see for yourself.
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It’s far from the record for the combine, but the circumstances under which Griffin performed are remarkable. Griffin, the twin brother of Seattle Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin, was tied for 16th among linebackers.
It was apparently a lot more reps than he thought he’d get in. According to Pro Football Talk, his goal was six.
“My goal was six. I think I beat that by a lot,” Griffin said. “. . . It felt good to do that many reps. I didn’t know I had it in me, but it came out today.”
Griffin was lifting the 225 pounds only 11 times in training, so Saturday’s effort gives him something to “write in my personal record books.” It also gave him bragging rights over his twin brother, Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin, who lifted 17 last year.
“It felt amazing. I felt good,” said Shaquem Griffin, who has benched as much as 395 pounds. “I was hyped. I was ready to go. I was ready to attack it and that’s what I did.”
It was a performance that got many hyped up. The NFL Network crew noted how the room reacted to his performance afterward, something that’s sure to impress scouts looking to draft him later this year.
