Allgemeines » Regular readers are well aware that we are slowly working our

way through grading each of the nine draft picks the Seattle Seahawks made in 2018 using the benefit of a season of hindsight. We have already made it two thirds of the way through the grading process Rasheem Green Color Rush Jersey , having already finished looking at the selections of First round running back Rashaad Penny,Third round defensive end Rasheem Green,Seventh round quarterback Alex McGough, Sixth round defensive end Jacob Martin,Fifth round tackle Jamarco Jones andFifth round Pro Bowl punter Michael Dickson.Now we move to the third of four fifth round selections the Seahawks held in 2018, and take a look at linebacker Shaquem Griffin. Hopefully I don’t have to go into great detail about the fact that teammate Shaquill Griffin is his twin brother, and the two are back playing together once again after the 2017 season represented the first season they did not play on the same team. Having been teammates first at Lakewood High School in St. Petersburg, FL and then together at the University of Central Florida for four years, where Shaquem redshirted for the 2013 season while Shaquill did not. (Author’s note: Just in case you were wondering how competitive high school football in Florida is, as Juniors in 2011 at Lakewood the Griffin twins were teammates with Dante Fowler of the Los Angeles Rams on a team that went 7-4 according to MaxPreps.)Getting back to Shaquem’s 2018 performance for the Seahawks, however, he did not get nearly the playing time on defense as some might have expected, but did play a significant role on special teams. The Hawks used Shaquem extensively on special teams, and by the end of the season only six other Hawks had accumulated more special teams snaps. On those special teams snaps he recorded five tackles, while adding another four tackles on defense, three of which were solo tackles with the last one a small assist coming from Rasheem Green. And that brings us to the discussion of Griffin’s play on defense. Shaquem was a tackling machine for the Hawks defense during the preseason Will Dissly Color Rush Jersey , wracking up 26 tackles, including a total of 17 in the two games against the Oakland Raiders and Indianapolis Colts, however, it wasn’t all good. That tweet from Field Gulls’ own Matty F. Brown came on the day the Seahawks played against the Denver Broncos in a disappointing season opening loss, which was the only game of the season in which Shaquem started. In fact, it wasn’t just the only game he started, it ended up as the game in which he saw the majority of the defensive snaps he played all season. Here’s a table showing his defensive snap count by game over the course of the 2018 season. Shaquem Griffin 2018 defensive snap count log by gameWeekOpponentDefensive SnapsWeekOpponentDefensive SnapsNow, it doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to be able to analyze that data. Most anyone should be able to figure out that a player who was healthy and active for all 16 games and recorded 41 defensive snaps while starting Week 1 and subsequently went on to finish the season with a total of 50 defensive snaps likely didn’t play very well in that Week 1 start. Obviously the data does not shed any light on the why, and that’s what the tape is for, which is why it’s fantastic to have someone like Matty around so that he can watch the tape and I can simply piggyback off his phenomenal work. In any case, as a fifth round pick Shaquem’s ability to come in and be a special teams contributor is significant. Maybe through experience and development he can address the pursuit angle issues that showed up, and perhaps he can one day develop into a starting linebacker at the NFL level. Even if he does not however, he has already proven that he can certainly fill a role as a core member of special teams units, while serving as depth at the linebacker position. Thus, even if he never develops into a starting caliber linebacker, there’s nothing wrong with a fifth round pick developing into the next Mike Morgan Michael Dickson Color Rush Jersey , D.J. Alexander, Heath Farwell or any other depth linebacker across the NFL who is also a special teams standout. Griffin has shown he can be a contributor in the NFL, and going forward he should have plenty of opportunity to develop more of his game. Where does that leave the Seahawks grade for the pick? MINNESOTA VIKINGS (14-4)New faces: Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, QB Kirk Cousins, DT Sheldon Richardson, PK Daniel Carlson, CB/KR Mike Hughes, C/G Brett Jones, SS George Iloka, WR Kendall Wright, OL Tom Compton, QB Trevor Siemian, OT Brian O’Neill.Key losses: Offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, QB Case Keenum, QB Sam Bradford, QB Teddy Bridgewater Alex McGough Color Rush Jersey , RB Jerick McKinnon, G/C Joe Berger, PK Kai Forbath, WR Jarius Wright, DT Tom Johnson, DT Shamar Stephen, OL Jeremiah Sirles.Strengths: Defense that led NFL in fewest yards and fewest points allowed per game last season only got stronger with free agent additions Richardson and Iloka. First-round draft pick Hughes, also potential kick returner, provides depth at critical position in mix for nickel package playing time in slot with Mackensie Alexander and Terence Newman. FS Harrison Smith and CB Xavier Rhodes headline one of best secondaries in league. Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs give newcomer Cousins one of best WR tandems in NFL, with veteran TE Kyle Rudolph viable red zone target. Cousins topped 4,000 passing yards for Washington while playing in every game over each of last three years.Weaknesses: OL lost Berger to retirement and starting LG Nick Easton in training camp to neck injury. Starting C Pat Elflein has missed entire preseason, recovering from offseason ankle and shoulder surgeries. Second-round draft pick O’Neill is long-term project, with questionable depth at OT spots in case of injury to Riley Reiff and/or Rashod Hill. Sudden death of OL coach Tony Sparano right before training camp was big blow. Special teams bear watching, too, with rookie Carlson taking over high-pressure position for Forbath and P Ryan Quigley coming off so-so 2017. Vikings did not have any kickoff or punt return TDs last year, and coverage units were burned often during preseason.Fantasy Players To Watch: RB Dalvin Cook. Well on way to stellar rookie year Byron Maxwell Color Rush Jersey , Cook tore ACL in left knee in fourth game. He averaged 112 yards from scrimmage, 22 total touches and three receptions per game and scored two TDs in abbreviated debut. Latavius Murray, who rushed for 745 yards and eight TDs over last 10 games of regular season, provides proven backup.Vegas Says: Super Bowl 12-1. Over/under wins 10.Expectations: After riding Keenum to NFC championship game, fueled by last-second TD pass to Diggs in playoffs against Saints dubbed “Minneapolis Miracle,” Vikings made sure Super Bowl window stayed open. Went all in on three-year, fully guaranteed $84 million contract to add Cousins to roster that was already one of most stacked in league. With recent big-buck extensions for Diggs, DE Danielle Hunter and LB Eric Kendricks, front office is keeping band together as long as possible under salary cap. Repeating last season’s record will be tough task, though, with OL uncertainty and stiffer schedule that includes road trips to face Rams, Eagles, Patriots and Seahawks. Plus, rival Packers have QB Aaron Rodgers back from injury.