Philadelphia Eagles: Shaquem Griffin is a Senior Bowl player to watch

As the Philadelphia Eagles prepare for the Super Bowl, their scouting department is at the Senior Bowl. Here’s why LB Shaquem Griffin is a player to watch.

Though there isn’t a professional football game this weekend, there is a game that could have a significant impact on the Philadelphia Eagles‘ future.

And no, I don’t mean the Pro Bowl.

On Saturday, January 27th some of the nation’s best football players will descend upon the city of Mobile, Alabama to take part in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, a game that pits some of the nation’s best senior college football prospects against one another right in front of representatives from all 32 NFL teams.

While the Eagles will obviously be focusing the vast majority of their attention on their fast approaching bout against the New England Patriots for a chance to be named Super Bowl LII champions, the team simply can’t overlook the Senior Bowl if they want to continue to build championship caliber rosters for years to come.

With current stars like Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, and Carson Wentz all cutting their teeth as Senior Bowl standouts, the Eagles could very well find their next great player this week in Alabama.

Here’s why UCF linebacker Shaquem Griffin is a player watch at the 2018 Senior Bowl.

(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

Meet the Prospect

Of all the players in the 2018 NFL Draft, there’s no player that deserves to succeed more than Shaquem Griffin.

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Much has been written about Griffin’s early life, but to summarize an otherwise lengthy story, Griffin was born with a rare condition called Amniotic Band Syndrome, something that occurs when the umbilical cord wraps around a body part, in Griffen’s case his hand, and restricts blood flow to the appendage.

While Shaquem’s twin brother Shaquill, a third-round pick in 2017 who played slot corner for the Seattle Seahawks in 2017, came out of the womb without issue, his twin brother, only three minutes younger, was born without a fully developed left hand.

And what he did have, was incredibly painful.

The pain got to be so severe that on one occasion a four-year-old Griffin decided to alleviate himself of the pain, knife in hand. While his mom ultimately stopped the would be amputation before it could begin, she took him to the hospital the next day to rid him of the pain once and for all.

And while many wondered if Griffin would ever half a normal life, Griffin set his sights on something greater than a normal life, instead dreaming of playing football.

Now with an outlet to take out all of his pent-up aggression, The Griffin boys developed into quality football players, with the older receiving serious interest from some of the nation’s most prestigious college programs, like Alabama and his dream school Miami, but few wanted Shaquem. But the brothers Griffin where a package deal and only local UCF offered the duo spots on the team.

And just like that, the Griffins became Golden Knights.

While Shaquill became an almost immediate starter at cornerback, Shaquem was buried on then head coach George O’Leary depth chart.

But all that changed when Scott Frost came to town.

Under Frost, Shaquem transitioned from a special teams force and reserve safety into a second-team All-American linebacker in new defensive coordinator Erik Chinander‘s 3-4 defense, and boy did he ever take to his new position.

Over his final two seasons on campus, Griffin recorded an astounding 100 tackles, 18.5 sacks and a pair of interceptions, and 2018 Peach Bowl Defensive MVP. Even without his older brother, Griffin turned the Golden Knights from a 0-12 team in 2015 to a 12-0 team in 2017 and helped to lead the team to the program’s first-ever National Championship, even if it was self-proclaimed.

Of all the players to suit up for UCF, few have had to overcome more in their lives than Shaquem Griffin, and for that, Golden Knights Nation will forever have a special place in their hearts for their one-handed linebacker.

(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Why he’s a fit with the Philadelphia Eagles

So far in the Doug Pederson era, the one position the team has consistently tried to acquire but still eludes them is a moneybacker.

Moneybacker is a hybrid position that’s played by either a light, hyper-athletic linebacker with plus coverage skills, like Ryan Shazier of the Steelers and Myles Jack of the Jaguars or a big college safety who bulked up to play WILL linebacker, like Mark Barron of the Rams and Deone Bucannon of the Cardinals. While back in the day these players would have been considered tweeners and struggled to find a place in the NFL, now they’re hot commodities, as the league spends more and more time in sub packages.

Having a coverage linebacker who can stay in the game on obvious passing downs and has the speed to both drop down into coverage while also being able to blitz the quarterback is incredibly intriguing for a defensive coordinator, and it’s obviously something Jim Schwartz would love to add to his defensive arsenal.

In 2016, the Eagles claimed Patriots sixth-round pick Kamu Grugier-Hill off the waiver wire, and quickly transitioned their newest player from a box safety into a linebacker, but other then a few snaps here or there in garbage time, Grugier-Hill has been mostly used as a four core special teams player and a darn good one at that.

In 2017, the front office once again went looking for a moneybacker when they invested a fifth-round pick on Nebraska safety Nate Gerry, with the hopes of transitioning him into a WILL linebacker role, but once again, Gerry struggled with the transition, and didn’t even make the Eagles 53-man roster, instead spending the vast majority of his season on the practice squad, before being promoted when Chris Maragos was placed on season-ending IR.

Though the team has invested heavily in the acquisition of a moneybacker, the third time may be a charm if they invest one of their Day 3 picks on Shaquem Griffin.

Griffin has spent the better part of his football career dropping into coverage, but over his final two seasons in Orlando, the former UCF Golden Knight proved that he can play linebacker at a high level, and could become one of the league’s premier dime linebacker.

While many wonder if Griffin, who stands 6-foot-1 223 pounds, can be effective edge rusher as a pro with one hand, he likely won’t have to face off against offensive tackles one-on-one in Schwartz’s read and react wide-nine system, and will instead be able to maximize his speed, instincts and athleticism in the open field.

Though he may never develop into an every down linebacker like say Haason Reddick, who was selected 13th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft from Temple, Griffin could become an asset on passing downs, a unique chess piece who can attack opposing quarterbacks from a variety of different ways, and a Pro Bowl caliber special teams player, something that the Eagles covet more than most teams.

Draft Projection: Rounds 5-7

NFL Comparison: Jeremy Cash

Next: Philadelphia Eagles: Jaylen Samuels is a Senior Bowl player to watch

Though Jeremy Cash and Griffin were used in very different ways in college, the pair could have very similar careers at the professional level. Like Cash, Griffin was incredibly productive but may not even be drafted due to questions surrounding his hand, as highlighted by his snub from the NFL Combine. Though some teams likely won’t have Griffin on their draft boards at all, that’s their loss, as the former Golden Knight is a force of nature on the field, and an incredibly positive force off it. If the Eagles want to finally find their moneybacker, with sideline to sideline speed, and scheme versatility and add yet another special teams dynamo to Dave Fipp‘s elite unit, they should strongly consider using one of their fifth or sixth round picks to draft Shaquem Griffin.

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