Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Profile: Linebacker, Shaquem Griffin

Our next stop on our tour of Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft prospects takes us about two hours east to the University of Central Florida in Orlando. We look at one of the biggest stories coming into this years draft, linebacker Shaquem Griffin.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking for improvements all over their roster. While their linebacker group is in the upper echelon of the NFL there is always room for improvement. The Buccaneers need some depth because behind their starters they don’t have much to work with if one were to go down with an injury.

After originally not being invited to the NFL combine Griffin proved that he is an athletic freak and a more than capable NFL player. With Kendell Beckwith‘s unfortunate ankle injury it puts an added need to depth. While he is expected to return before the start of the regular season, it puts them in a definite position of need. Could Griffin be that guy that to solidify the entire linebacker corp?

Shaquem Griffin Collegiate Career

Griffin and his twin brother Shaquill both attended UCF after growing up in Saint Petersburg. Growing up with one hand never held him back from the competition, as he played three sports. As a three-star recruit, he and his brother received full rides to UCF.

Griffin red-shirted his freshman season while his brother saw immediate playing time. Shaquem would have to work his way up to the starting roster when new head coach Scott Frost saw the potential in him.

He took full advantage of his opportunity and saw a huge jump from his sophomore to junior season. At the time he also switched from defensive back to linebacker where he bulked up but still could utilize his speed and tackling abilities.

During Shaquem’s junior season he tallied 92 tackles, 20 tackles for loss, and 11.5 sacks earning him the American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year. After 2016 Shaquill became draft eligible and was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the third round, and Shaquem stayed at UCF due to his redshirt season.

That would become a breakout season for UCF as Scott Frost and the Knights went undefeated, defeating seventh-ranked Auburn in the Peach Bowl. Griffin was named defensive MVP of the Peach Bowl recording twelve tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.

Shaquem would have a rocky start to his collegiate career but ended on a strong note. With 195 tackles, 33.5 for loss, 18.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and even three interceptions. With all of his stats coming in his final two seasons Shaquem should’ve proved no matter what his limitations are he is still worthy of being an NFL caliber player.

If his performance the final two seasons wasn’t enough his combine definitely opened team eyes. Running a blazing 4.38 40-yard dash, faster than any running back. He also put up 20 reps at the bench press with a prosthetic clamp. After going from not being invited to the combine to being one of the best he has shot up draft boards but it’s anyone’s guess to determine his landing spot.

Pros

Speed. He’s a linebacker with sub 4.4 speed. His speed allows him to catch up with anyone. For a guy with one hand, he recorded more interceptions in college than Patrick Willis. He’s also a very powerful hitter.

He’s an instinctual player who has a knack for making plays. Griffin is instinctual enough to play outside or inside in any defensive scheme. Also an exceptional pass rusher with 18.5 sacks. He can definitely play in the NFL but he needs to have a coordinator that can work with him like Scott Frost did.

Cons

While he clearly still has great potential and tools to be an NFL player he is missing a hand. It would help him secure tackles. He allowed four broken tackles this past season and against the best competition in the world, there is very little room for error.

The competition level is much higher in the NFL than American Athletic Conference and it will take everything he’s got to make it. He’s proven that he can do it in college so it will be fun to see what he can do at the next level.

Why The Buccaneers Need Shaquem Griffin

With the average recovery time of an ankle fracture 3-5 months depending on the severity, Kendell Beckwith may miss the beginning of the season. The Buccaneers current backups are Devante Bond, Adarius Glanton, Cameron Lynch, and Riley Bullough. While they are all still young none of them made a major impact.

Griffin could be an instant impact player who could learn a role to continue his success in college. He likely won’t be an every down guy but they won’t need him to be. Mike Smith would just have to adjust the scheme, something he has to learn anyways, but it would be a nice addition to Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander.

Will It Happen?

The Buccaneers are without a third-round pick and the likelihood of him falling to the fourth is doubtful. However, I really have no idea where he will get drafted. Teams will have him fall on their draft board because of his disability but others can see the potential in him. He has the ability to play football, his literal twin is in the NFL and played well for the Seahawks. The Buccaneers aren’t going to be actively searching for a new linebacker but his addition would be a welcome one. Especially coming from St. Petersburg it would be a nice local story.

"Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com joins the Locked on Bucs Podcast to help make the seventh pick in the 2018 LOB Mock Draft!"

If the Bucs find a way to make a trade and acquire more picks the addition of Griffin would be a welcome one. However, as it currently sits the Bucs have bigger needs than linebacker and he likely won’t be around when the Bucs make their selections.

We’ll see what the team can do in less than a week. Stay with us every day as we give you more prospects to watch on The Pewter Plank. Sound off on Twitter or Facebook if you think Shaquem Griffin is one of the picks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.