Name: Shaquill Griffin
School: UCF
Position fit: Outside cornerback, with experience at safety
Stats to know: Allowed just 39.7 percent of the passes thrown into his coverage to be caught in 2016.
What he does best:
- Impressive athlete, ranking inside the top five among cornerbacks at the scouting combine in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump and 60-yard shuttle.
- Started two games at free safety in 2015, and moved between right and left cornerback during games, so isn't limited as a player who played strictly one side in college.
- Reads and reacts well, particularly on wide receiver screens, where the six passes completed into his coverage netted just 19 yards in 2016.
- Fast enough to match most receivers stride for stride downfield, with just two of the 19 go routes thrown into his coverage resulting in a catch, and Griffin coming away with two interceptions on such routes.
- Knows how to find the ball. 11 pass breakups tied for fourth among cornerbacks in this draft class, and his four interceptions were tied for eighth.
- Solid tackler, missing a tackle just once every 13.3 attempted last season, tied for 12th among cornerbacks in this draft class.
- Really impressive in the NFLPA All-Star game, where he didn't allow a reception on 27 snaps in coverage, and came away with two pass breakups on the only passes thrown into his coverage.
- Dangerous with the ball in his hands, with an interception returned for a touchdown in each of the past two seasons.
Biggest concern:
- Loses inside too easily against receivers. Of the 415 yards he allowed in coverage, 227 came on slants, in routes or post routes.
- Struggled against Michigan's Amara Darboh, giving up three receptions for 83 yards and two touchdowns in their early season encounter.
- Allowed six touchdowns on throws into his coverage, tied for sixth-most among cornerbacks in this draft class.
Bottom line: Griffin is another player who is likely to see his draft position lowered by what is a deep cornerback class. He ticks all the boxes teams are looking for in an athlete, with the size and raw athleticism that teams will love, but there will be some concern that he struggled as much as he did against Michigan's Darboh, a draft-eligible receiver. Despite that though, he is coming off an impressive season, and if he can be coached to play inside releases on routes better than he did in 2016, he has a lot to offer teams in the NFL.
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