One handed player goes in NFL draft

Shaquem Griffin with his identical twin brother Shaquill celebrates at an awards function this...
Shaquem Griffin with his identical twin brother Shaquill celebrates at an awards function this year. Photo: Getty Images
UCF linebacker Shaquem Griffin is getting a dream scenario as he takes his underdog story to the NFL.

The Seattle Seahawks reunited Shaquem with his twin brother Shaquill Griffin when they took him in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft on Saturday.

Shaquem Griffin in action. Photo: Getty Images
Shaquem Griffin in action. Photo: Getty Images
Shaquem Griffin is a study in perseverance. The 2016 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year had his left hand amputated at the age of 4.

Shaquill plays cornerback with the Seahawks.

Shaquem told ESPN on Friday he'd love to join his brother in Seattle, joking that the "Legion of Griffins" might replace the infamous Legion of Boom.

The Seahawks have had some success picking defenders in the fifth round of the draft. Richard Sherman, now with the San Francisco 49ers, and Kam Chancellor were both fifth-round picks and anchored the defensive backfield in Seattle for years.

They took Shaquill in the third round in 2017. He started 11 games as a rookie, finishing with an interception and a sack, along with 15 passes defended.

Shaquem Griffin became a household name for football fans during the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine. He ran a 4.38 40-yard dash and excelled in all athletic testing in Indianapolis.

A do-everything linebacker at UCF, Shaquem Griffin is skilled in coverage due to his safety background but will likely contribute on special teams based on the on-field demeanor rooted in hyper-speed aggressiveness.

Born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, he had the deformed hand amputated at the age of four. But that never stopped Griffin from doing everything his friends were doing, especially his older twin brother (by one minute) Shaquill. Shaquem competed in track and field, winning the state title in the triple jump in 2013, and the brothers chose UCF over offers from numerous FBS schools.

Shaquem Griffin was a safety in high school before moving to outside linebacker at UCF when new coach Scott Frost arrived. He collected 33.5 tackles for loss and 18.5 sacks the past two seasons and was named the conference defensive player of the year (2016) while earning first-team All-AAC recognition each of the past two seasons.

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