Seattle Seahawks take first one-handed player for NFL, teams take punt on Aussie duo
Shaquem Griffin has made history, becoming the first one-handed player to be selected in the NFL Draft, setting him up for a professional American football career.
The Seattle Seahawks selected University of Central Florida linebacker Griffin in the fifth round, reuniting him with his identical twin brother and Seahawks 2017 third-round pick Shaquill Griffin.
Shaquem — whose left hand was amputated at age four due to complications from amniotic band syndrome — and Shaquill have played together at every level of football, with the latter declining more prominent scholarship offers out of high school to wait for a school that would offer both brothers.
They weren't teammates in 2017 after Shaquill left Central Florida as a junior last year, but they will now play together again in Seattle.
Griffin was a star for the unbeaten Knights last season and then lit up his combine workouts, running a sub-4.4 second time for the 40-yard dash, the fastest time for a linebacker at the combine since 2003.
He also bench pressed 225 pounds (102 kilograms) 20 times, having attached a prosthetic hand onto the bar.
Griffin is undersized for a linebacker in the NFL at 183cm and 103kg, but his athleticism and tenacity earned him a spot.
Punter Dickson taken early by Seattle, Mailata goes to Eagles
Two Australians were taken on the final day of the draft.
Former Sydney Swans prospect Michael Dickson has been selected by the Seattle Seahawks, with the 149th pick in the NFL Draft, while fellow Sydneysider Jordan Mailata went in the seventh round.
Twenty-one-year-old Dickson decided to try his luck at American football three years ago, received a scholarship at the University of Texas and quickly became one of US college football's top punters.
His selection in the fifth round is a stunning result as teams are traditionally reluctant to use their draft picks on punters.
NFL scouts and analysts rated the 191cm tall Dickson as the best punter in the draft class.
Dickson proved his supremacy in December when he won the Ray Guy Award, the top accolade for punters in college football.
As a teenager, Dickson's athleticism and big, accurate kick had been identified by AFL teams and he became a member of the Sydney Swans Academy.
Mailata, Australia's other top hope in the NFL Draft, was taken with pick 233 by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
Mailata, 21, appeared headed for an NRL career after playing junior rugby league for South Sydney.
The 203cm, 158kg beast has no American football experience but his size and ability to run 35 metres in five seconds attracted a host of interested teams.
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