INDIANAPOLIS (UCFKnights.com) -- You think 20 reps on the bench with a prosthetic arm stole the show at Lucas Oil Stadium Saturday? Shaquem Griffin one-upped himself Sunday by running a blazing 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds that set Twitter on fire and turned the world of NFL media on its ear.
Griffin's time -- identical to that of his identical twin brother Shaquill at last year's combine -- was the fastest by a linebacker since the NFL started recording 40-yard dash times back in 2003. According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, Griffin is the first-ever defensive player to weigh more than 225 and run a sub 4.4-second 40-yard dash. Shaquem said a little brotherly challenge may have been the needed fuel to push him his record-breaking time.
"My brother was telling me the whole time, 'I don't think you can run 4.3. You put on weight. I'm giving you a 4.4. That would be good for you,'" Shaquem said to ESPN afterward. "I said 'So, you're telling me what I can't do, huh?' It was only right that I prove him wrong and that's what I did. He called me ... after I got done with the 40 and he was like 'You did it. I'm proud of you.' I didn't know my time at first and he was like 'You just made history. You're the fastest linebacker to ever do it since the Combine started.' I said, 'Well, I hope nobody's going to beat me for a while, then.'"
Shaquem also had a message for Knight fans on the @UCF_Football Twitter account: "Hey, what's up, Knight fans? Shaquem Griffin here, letting you all know that it's finally done. I got an opportunity to be here and I did it. I gotta thank you all for all the support. You all have been supporting me for a long time now."
See Shaquem's entire message to UCF fans and tons of coverage of his day at the Combine in the Twitter moment below:
Shaquem Sunday at 2018 #NFLCombine
