Would you draft Shaquem Griffin?

[Mr. Scot]

What he's overcome to play at the college level is inspiring, but the challenges and the stakes are infinitely higher at the pro level.

Linebacker isn't necessarily an immediate need for us, but with Thomas Davis set to retire and Shaq Thompson a free agent after this year unless the fifth year option is invoked, it might be worth looking at. Even if Thompson's fifth yer is activated, you still need more linebackers than just Luke and Shaq.

Would you take him or not? Why or why not?

And point blank, does the hand thing make a difference?

[Lemory]

He would fill in that LB/S hybrid that we use or the "buffalo nickel" as they call it. Shaq will be moving into TD's role so the position could be filled by him but I think we have more pressing needs at the moment and can always draft a hybird next year. 

[The Huddler]

I just dont know how you will play in the NFL with one hand. 

 

Pass

[TN05]

Yes.

He's a fighter. Never gives up. Strong, fast, smart, and most of all - driven. He's a perfect fit for this team and the "Keep Pounding" mantra.

[Shocker]

Yes I would but later in the draft...he has good blitzing potential.  Kinda small though.

[Khyber53]

High motor guy with high character grades, too. The guy overcomes problems. Looks like a perfect fit for us.

Only has one hand? I don't think that has stopped him so far, probably won't in the NFL, either.

[TheRumGone]

Yes

[d-dave]

13 minutes ago, TN05 said:

Yes.

He's a fighter. Never gives up. Strong, fast, smart, and most of all - driven. He's a perfect fit for this team and the "Keep Pounding" mantra.

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Shaq Griffin will only make your team better.  He's going to be the hardest working guy on the team.  He has serious athletic gifts and the work ethic to put them to maximum use.

So what if he is missing a hand?  He performed at a very high level in college and at the Senior Bowl.  I think he's made it apparent that's not going to limit his game.

What round?  I have no idea.  A lot of the chatter is that he's a mid round guy, so I'd be happy 3rd-5th with him.

[NYPantherFan]

Yes. At worst, he is a solid contributor on ST. 

I agree with what @Lemory said. That's how I see his role in the NFL. After today, I think he goes day 2 of the draft.

[mc52beast]

Don’t really know much about him except that he’s overcome a lot in his life. Some guys in the NFL can’t tackle with both hands, much less just one...

[LinvilleGorge]

Would I draft him? It depends on where. First three rounds? No. 6th or 7th? Hell yeah. 5th... now I'm on the fence. Probably.

I just think at minimum he'll be a high level special teams gunner. That's worth a 5th.

[t96]

Having one hand makes a big difference in the pros. Can't wrap up. You don't need to in college but in the pros wrapping up is essential for a LB. I'd consider him at some point, yes, but his limitations are real. Hope I'm proved wrong as it's an amazing story of how far he's gotten so far but I don't expect him to be great in the pros. If he can carve out a long term ST leader role like a Matthew Slater for the Pats I'd consider that to be very impressive.

[Panthers8969]

5 minutes ago, thomas96 said:

Having one hand makes a big difference in the pros. Can't wrap up. You don't need to in college but in the pros wrapping up is essential for a LB. I'd consider him at some point, yes, but his limitations are real. Hope I'm proved wrong as it's an amazing story of how far he's gotten so far but I don't expect him to be great in the pros. If he can carve out a long term ST leader role like a Matthew Slater for the Pats I'd consider that to be very impressive.

Gonna have to disagree with this. He’s only missing his hand, most of his arm is still totally fine, allowing him to wrap up just like other lbs do. Only thing I really see it affecting is INTs and diving tackles where most players would try to grab an ankle with one hand and stuff like that 

[LinvilleGorge]

Plenty of players have played with theor hand in a cast or otherwise immobilized. This situation isn't drastically different. He probably actually has an advantage in that he's very much accustomed to his condition. Sure, it's definitely a limitation but not so much so that I'd drastically devalue him. If LB was a bigger need for us I'd value him higher.