Shaquem Griffin is the first one-handed player selected in the NFL draft. The Seattle Seahawks took the linebacker with the overall 141 selection on Saturday.
Griffin lost a hand when he was 4 years old due to a congenital condition known as amniotic band syndrome. A first-team All-American from the University of Central Florida, Griffin has not allowed the loss of his hand to prevent him from becoming one of the best soccer players in the country.
In the NFL's exploration combination in February, Griffin performed 20 repetitions of 225 pounds on the bench press using a prosthetic fixture instead of his amputated hand. The 22-year-old ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, the fastest time for a linebacker in more than ten years, according to ESPN.
Griffin joins twin brother Shaquil, a cornerback, who was selected by the Seahawks in 2017.
"This is not the end of my path … it's just the beginning," Griffin told ESPN. "And I will continue to prove that people are wrong"
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