Shaquem Griffin was believed by many to be selected by the end of Round 3 of the 2018 NFL Draft, which would have put him within the first 100 players selected. When the Seattle Seahawks chose tight end Will Dissly late in the fourth round, they could have been forgiven for thinking they blew their final chance to draft the UCF linebacker. But when GM John Schneider came back on the clock 21 picks later at No. 141, Griffin was still there, and the Seahawks wasted no time bringing him into the organization.

Part of the reason Griffin was expected by many to be a top-100 pick? The world watched him blaze a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the combine. But as it turns out, looks can be deceiving.

According to NFL Draft Scout's Frank Cooney, Griffin's clock "started a little late," and the estimate for his actual time "was closer to 4.58 seconds."

While a 4.58-second 40-yard dash is a solid number for a linebacker, it's nowhere close to the 4.38 that was recorded as his unofficial time by the NFL Network telecast, which would have been faster than any linebacker has run since 2003.

When it was discovered that Griffin had run closer to 4.58 than 4.38, "many teams repositioned him on draft boards," per Cooney. That means his draft-day "slide" is less surprising than it appeared on the surface.

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Griffin's brother, Shaquill, a defensive back for the Seahawks, ran a 4.38 40-yard dash during the 2017 NFL combine. On the NFL Network telecast, the brothers appeared stride for stride during their respective runs, but it's possible the inaccurate clock affect the start point for Shaquem's run.

However, just because the "official" 40 time was closer to 4.58 seconds doesn't mean NFL teams have to draw their evaluations from that. Teams time prospects on their own, and when Pete Caroll talked about Griffin during the team's post-draft press conference, he noted that the team's handheld time for the linebacker was even faster than that of his brother.

"I think probably the coolest thing that happened at the combine is that he said to us in our meeting that 'I’m going to run faster than my brother,' and when our clocks came off -- our handhelds -- he beat his brother’s time," Carroll said. "And we went nuts about it because he called it, and nobody thought he would be able to do that.

"So, it started the lore, as far as we’re concerned about this kid. So, the rest of it is kind of history now, and we’re really excited about getting him in. He’s going to be one of those guys in there battling, competing with the rest."

Carroll also shared his plans to use Griffin in a way where his speed is an asset.

"We’re going to try to put him in spots where we can utilize the great speed that he has, and he’s as fast as you can get as a linebacker. I don’t think it’s going to throw us off, that he’s that fast, but we’re anxious to see how it works and how it fits in with him chasing the football and all," he said.

Whether Griffin is a 4.38 player or a 4.58 player isn't going to matter much on gameday if he's making plays. And if in time he turns into a key piece of the Seahawks' defense, Carroll will likely thank his lucky stars that Griffin's official 40-yard dash time caused 140 players to go ahead of him.