RENTON, Wash. — Shaquill Griffin wasn’t going to let his twin brother, Shaquem Griffin, miss the best phone call of his life, even if it meant barging into a bathroom to make sure he didn’t.
It was a few minutes before 11 a.m. PT Saturday when Shaquem, watching the NFL draft from a hotel in Dallas along with several family members, got up and exited the room, leaving his phone behind. Shaquill sprang into action when it began to ring, knowing exactly what it meant once he recognized the 425 area code on the screen.
With the Seattle Seahawks calling, the dream they’ve had since they were 5 years old of playing together in the NFL was coming true.
“When I saw that, I grabbed the phone and jumped over everybody else on the floor and went to the bathroom,” said Shaquill, the second-year Seahawks cornerback. “I checked to see if he locked the door; he didn’t lock the door. I said, ‘You have to grab this!’ I said, ‘You don’t have time for this!’ I handed him the phone, and that’s how it went.”
Said Shaquem: “I looked, and that’s when tears just started pouring down.”
What a moment, @Shaquemgriffin is officially a Seahawk! #SeahawksDraft pic.twitter.com/7BGA8SPgmt
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 28, 2018
He was hardly alone. The Seahawks’ selection of Griffin in the fifth round was a highly emotional moment for all involved.
It was for Shaquem and Shaquill, who will reunite after the former made history as the first player with only one hand to be drafted in the NFL’s modern era.
It was for Seahawks fans. There were many who had been clamoring for the team to pair the two in Seattle’s defense, wanting it so bad that they almost seemed disappointed when the Seahawks instead addressed much more pressing needs than outside linebacker in the third and fourth rounds.
And it was emotional for the Seahawks organization, including the top two decision-makers, even though they had more time than anyone to brace for it.
GM John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll have now selected 86 players over their nine drafts together in Seattle. None of the congratulatory phone calls to any of the previous draft picks could match this one.
“It was emotional for all the obvious reasons,” Carroll said. “We love Shaquill and knowing what could come of this. My partner here was kind of a mess, to tell you the truth, when he handed me the phone.”
Schneider didn’t dispute that, saying he had to get off the phone quickly.
How could you blame him? The scenario — Shaquem not only overcoming the longest of odds to reach the pros, but also rejoining his twin brother on the same team — is the stuff of Hollywood movie scripts, not NFL reality.
“I had a feeling [it could happen],” Shaquem said, “but the chances are really low.”
The brothers spoke with Seattle-area reporters on a conference call while making their way from the hotel room back to the draft at AT&T Stadium. Shaquem said the first thing Shaquill asked him after he got the call from the Seahawks was, “So are you living with me or no?”
“We may have to knock some walls down,” Shaquill joked on the conference call, “but we’ll figure it out.”
To be sure, the Seahawks wouldn’t have drafted Griffin if they didn’t believe he could help their team, but this almost-too-good-to-be-true story comes at a time when Seattle could really use one.
Schneider was asked if the Seahawks felt any pressure to draft Griffin knowing how many fans wanted it to happen.
“No,” he said. “We knew it was a cool story, but no.”
What a story it is, and what a day it was.
“It was like I was dreaming,” Shaquem said. “Magical stuff started happening. It’s unexplainable, the emotions, everything that was going through my mind. It was crazy.”
Shaquem Griffin’s inspiring journey to the 2018 NFL draft came full circle in Saturday’s fifth round, when the Seattle Seahawks drafted the Central Florida linebacker with the 141st overall pick.
The move reunites Griffin with his twin brother, Shaquill, a third-round selection in 2017, and it spurred reaction across the league, starting with Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.
Wow. Chills. God is so good! Great job @Seahawks
Congrats @ShaquemGriffin & @ShaquillG
— Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) April 28, 2018
Former MLB pitcher Jim Abbott, who was born without a right hand, also chimed in:
Thrilled for you @Shaquemgriffin. Beyond words…
— Jim Abbott (@jabbottum31) April 28, 2018
Text from Pete Carroll on @Shaquemgriffin – His heart and love of the game is extraordinary!! He told us he was gonna run faster than his brother and on our clocks he did it by a hundredth!!!
— Chris Mortensen (@mortreport) April 28, 2018
Congrats @Shaquemgriffin !! Like I told you this morning, it’s time to keep proving the critics that don’t know anything about heart or why the beacon of light always shines. #NFLDraft https://t.co/zUXiW18DeW
— D-Ware (@DeMarcusWare) April 28, 2018
?? @Shaquemgriffin
— Torrey Smith (@TorreySmithWR) April 28, 2018
This cold! https://t.co/8MvvxUz8NS
— Marshon Lattimore (@shonrp2) April 28, 2018
That’s so lit!!! @Shaquemgriffin & @ShaquillG on the same team again ?? https://t.co/lSNO3MMeHF
— Sidney Jones IV (@SidneyJonesIV) April 28, 2018
MOOD. #GoHawks pic.twitter.com/lcALRsBNyh
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 28, 2018
Year of the twins ???? https://t.co/JpuuHYmAon
— Devin&Jason McCourty (@McCourtyTwins) April 28, 2018
Florida made ! https://t.co/uoYQFCIQfz
— Nelson Agholor (@nelsonagholor) April 28, 2018
??? https://t.co/46zl2I3TJR
— Duane Brown (@DuaneBrown76) April 28, 2018
Amazing what a blessing man he deserves it all
— jarran reed (@1j_reed) April 28, 2018
Yes that’s what I’m talking about. #12’s
— DJ Alexander (@D_alexander57) April 28, 2018
Yessir!!!! @Shaquemgriffin ! ????
— Marcus Smith II (@MarcusSmithII) April 28, 2018
Now I’m not a Seahawk fan at all, but drafting @Shaquemgriffin and keeping the Griffin twins together is special! Congrats
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Arden Key has a specific goal in mind for his rookie year, besides racking up sacks and stats for the Oakland Raiders. It has more to do with separating perception from his reality.
“That I’m not the guy that the media portrays me to be,” Key said Friday night after the Raiders selected the former LSU defensive end in the third round of the draft, 87th overall.
“Football is not the question. Everybody knows, talent-wise, if we’re just talking talent, top-five pick, automatic.”
•Kiper: Day 2 winners, questions, reaches » •Kiper: Best available prospects for Day 3 » • Nation: Breaking down every pick, by team » • Trade tracker: Every move, sorted by team » • Barnwell: Who aced trade value in Round 1 » • New digits: First-round picks get numbers » •Kiper: Round 1 winners, questions » •McShay: Round 1 draft awards » • Nation: Pros, cons for first 32 picks » • Clay’s fantasy reax: Rounds 2-3 | 1
Key, though, fell into the third round and into the Raiders’ lap because of off-the-field issues that clouded his past year. In the spring of 2017 he checked himself into rehab for marijuana, and then appeared in just eight games last fall because of injuries. This after he set the LSU single-season sacks record with 12 in 2016. Key had 26 1/2 sacks during three seasons as a Tiger.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden sees Key as a third pass-rusher, along with Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin.
“Well, he’s not a finished product,” Gruden said of Key. “He’s made some mistakes. He’s had some difficult times in his young life, and I know where he’s been for the last several months, and I know what he’s been through in his career. We’ve done a lot of research on him and he has a lot to prove … but at the end of the third round, we feel like it’s a gamble worth taking and this young man has some qualities that are rare.
“We do think he’s a very good kid … but this is a young person that needs some help right now, and we’re going to help him.”
Key said he acknowledged his mistakes to teams in pre-draft interviews and felt his honesty helped him. Even if, as he said, he went later than his talent should have had him go in the draft.
“I know I’m not a third-round pick; I’m a first-round talent, top five,” he said. “I went through some situations that caused me to be a third-round pick. I’ve learned from those things and this is the consequence of me going through what I went through. I’m a better person now than I was prior to it. I’m just happy to be at the right place.
“I feel the Oakland Raiders is the right place for me. That was the best visit I went on out of all eight of my visits. Being on the other side of Khalil Mack, learning things from him and that sort, him taking me under his wing [would be helpful], if he wants to do that.”
Hey, when you spend four months previewing something, trot out eleventy-billion mock drafts and work everybody into a froth trying to figure out how 19- and 20-year-olds project as pro athletes, the least you can hope is that the draft is interesting.
So far, so good.
Thursday’s first round of the NFL draft was loaded with twists and surprises, from the beginning to the end. Lots to unpack here, and it’s impossible to hit it all right away in the aftermath. But we can try.
Here’s a quick effort to decode some of what we learned in the first round of this year’s NFL draft:
The quarterbacks all went to places that make sense for them
Think about it. Baker Mayfield is a lifelong underdog, two-time walk-on with thick skin who doesn’t care what you think about him. A No. 1 overall pick with a chip on his shoulder. Cleveland all the way. Sam Darnold was a superstar in a big market who’ll be asked to do that again with the New York Jets. Josh Allen has the size and the arm to muscle his way through the elements in Buffalo (a small market where Thursday’s Twitter controversy may not get as much exposure as in a larger one). Josh Rosen will play in ideal conditions in Arizona, with a superstar running back who can ease the pressure on him early. And Lamar Jackson can sit for a year or two behind veteran Joe Flacco in Baltimore (more on that in a second).
None of these guys has to play right away, but all five are in places where they can thrive eventually.
Five quarterbacks were taken in the first round for the first time since 1983. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Some veteran QBs are on notice — even in places where they just arrived
The obvious one is Flacco, who technically has four years left on his contract but has no more guaranteed money coming and can easily be cut after 2018. It’s hard to know how much time Jackson will need to develop as an NFL quarterback, but his unique natural ability immediately makes him a better backup QB than the Ravens have had since Tyrod Taylor left, and he sets up as the potential successor to Flacco.
In Arizona, there’ll be pressure to play Rosen early, especially if Sam Bradford continues to have injury issues. In New York, Josh McCown did enough last year to deserve starting the entire 2018 season if he’s healthy, but Darnold looms as the 2019 starter. Taylor always looked like a placeholder in Cleveland, but obviously there’ll be pressure on the Browns’ coaching staff to play Mayfield right away — especially if they’re losing games. And all that stands in Allen’s way in Buffalo is the unproven tandem of AJ McCarron and Nathan Peterman. Allen may need time to develop, but again, if the Bills are losing, McCarron will be on the hot seat almost before he gets a chance to show what he can do.
•Kiper: Kiper’s Round 1 winners, questions » •Kiper: Best available prospects on Day 2 » • Nation: Pros, cons for every pick » • Browns take Baker Mayfield with top pick » • Jets select Sam Darnold at No. 3 » • Bills trade up to 10 for Josh Allen » • Cardinals move up to take Josh Rosen » • Clay: Round 1 fantasy reaction »
Last year, three wideouts went in the top nine picks. The problem is, all three of them — the Chargers’ Mike Williams, the Titans’ Corey Davis and the Bengals’ John Ross — had injury issues and rough rookie years.
Fast-forward to Thursday night, and the first wide receiver taken was pick No. 24 — Maryland’s D.J. Moore to the Carolina Panthers. Before that happened, the Steelers traded fourth-year receiver Martavis Bryant to the Raiders for a third-round pick and the Patriots took Georgia guard Isaiah Wynn with the pick (No. 23 overall) they got from the Rams in exchange for wide receiver Brandin Cooks.
It’s clear teams this year were looking for wide receiver solutions in places other than the draft, and the only wide receiver other than Moore who went in this year’s first round was Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, who fell into the laps of the stunned Atlanta Falcons at No. 26. Overall, 11 offensive skill position players went in the first round, and five were the quarterbacks. The others were the aforementioned wide receivers, one tight end (Hayden Hurst, Ravens, No. 25) and three running backs (Saquon Barkley, Giants, No. 2; Rashaad Penny, Seahawks, No. 27; Sony Michel, Patriots, No. 31).
Gruden gonna Gruden
A lot of mock drafts had the Oakland Raiders taking a defensive player, but I heard my friend Mark Dominik say on the radio Thursday that the offensive-minded Gruden wouldn’t be able to help himself. Sure enough, the Raiders traded back and took a project offensive tackle in UCLA’s Kolton Miller, and then traded the pick they got in that deal (No. 79 overall, from Arizona) to the Steelers for Bryant. Have to think the Raiders go defense Friday night, but I guess we can’t be sure.
A surprising number of teams got their top-choice player
The Browns, obviously, since they got to pick first. But in addition to Mayfield, Cleveland took the first defensive player in the draft. And to many people’s surprise, it was Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward instead of NC State defensive end Bradley Chubb. The Giants could have traded down from No. 2, but clearly Barkley was the player of their dreams. The Jets traded up from No. 6 to No. 3 because they liked three quarterbacks but still got the top one on their board in Darnold, according to a source close to the situation. The Broncos were set to deal the No. 5 pick to Buffalo (who was coming up for Allen, their top choice) until Chubb fell to them and they decided they couldn’t pass up the chance to pair Chubb and Von Miller on the edges. The Colts moved down from No. 3 to No. 6 figuring they’d get either Chubb, Barkley or Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson, and sure enough they came out with Nelson, who can help them keep quarterback Andrew Luck upright. Heck, the Dolphins got their dream pick at No. 11 in Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Saints obviously were deeply in love with UT-San Antonio defensive end Marcus Davenport, for whom they dealt a 2019 first-round pick. And the Chargers could never have imagined Florida State defensive back Derwin James falling to them at No. 17.
There were plenty of trades, but the reason there weren’t more in the top half of the draft was because the board was falling the way many of these teams were hoping it would.
Tom Brady’s plan to play forever survived the night
Lots of chatter about the Patriots maybe taking Lamar Jackson if he fell to them. He did. Twice. And they didn’t take him. The Patriots may still get a quarterback in this draft, and it could be someone like Mason Rudolph or Luke Falk on Friday night. But neither would present any kind of immediate threat to the soon-to-be 41-year-old Brady. The search for the next Jimmy Garoppolo remains in progress.
The Giants put off addressing their QB succession plan to take RB Saquon Barkley at No. 2 overall. Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports
There’s lots of potential movement at the top of Round 2
The Browns have the first and third picks of Friday night, thanks to last year’s Deshaun Watson trade with the Texans. The Colts have the fourth and fifth picks of Friday night, thanks to last month’s trade with the Jets. Plenty of good players are still there for the Browns, who could use someone like Boston College edge rusher Harold Landry or Stanford safety Justin Reid, among others. Plenty of strong options there for the Colts, who could use Landry or any of the top remaining offensive linemen — Iowa’s James Daniels, UTEP’s Will Hernandez, Texas’ Connor Williams. But having multiple picks enables Cleveland and Indianapolis to listen to offers from teams looking to move up to take the guy they think should have been a first-rounder but wasn’t. The draft resumes at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Kiper: Day 2 winners, questions, reaches »
