Shaquem Griffin had walked away from his cellphone Tony Romo Jersey Womens , on his way to use the restroom, when it buzzed. His twin brother, Shaquill, recognized the 425 area code that flashed on the screen and started charging after his brother.

"I think I was more scared of him tackling me in the bathroom and not knowing what was happening than anything," Shaquem said.

What already was the feel-good story of the NFL draft got an even better storybook ending on Saturday when the Central Florida star linebacker whose left hand was amputated when he was child was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round.

The phone call from Seattle general manager John Schneider set off a wild celebration within the Griffin family , which had gathered at a hotel in the Dallas area after Shaquem spent the first two days at the draft in Arlington, Texas, waiting for a phone call that never came. It was the Seahawks 鈥?the team that showed the most interest in Griffin from the start 鈥?who gave Shaquem the chance at his professional aspirations and with it a chance to be reunited with his brother.

Shaquill, who was a third-round pick by the Seahawks in 2017, became a starter in his rookie season. The brothers played together throughout their youth and at UCF before Shaquill entered the NFL a year earlier.

"I couldn't ask for anything (else) in the world than the opportunity to be back with him Authentic M.J. Stewart Jersey ," Shaquem said.

Added Shaquill: "I was going to be happy no matter what team that gave him the opportunity. At the end of the day that's all I wanted for him: for a team to give him a shot and give him an opportunity and take a chance on someone that is great."

For Seattle coach Pete Carroll what stuck out as the interview the Seahawks conducted with Griffin at the scouting combine.

"He was just so expressive and so open to tell his story and tell what this opportunity meant to him in a way that moved us all," Carroll said. "Just like those of you that have watched him he's an extraordinary young man. He has a lot of messaging that he's going to stand strong with and we're all going to grow from I think. And aside from that he's a really good football player."

Griffin was the player everyone was hoping would get a shot in the NFL after being a star at UCF despite playing with just one hand. He was the American Athletic Conference defensive player of the year in 2016 and the MVP of UCF's Peach Bowl victory against Auburn last season when the Knights went 13-0.

A groundswell of support got him an invitation to the scouting combine in Indianapolis, where he stunned onlookers by bench-pressing 225 pounds a staggering 20 times with a prosthetic left hand and then covered the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds. The performance at the combine turned Shaquem into a star, but it didn't guarantee a team would give him a shot.

"It's just so much. I'm extremely blessed," Shaquem said. "It definitely was a tough three days. A lot of anxiety these few days, but I am ready to get up there and go to work and start something great."

Shaquem's position in the NFL is still to be determined. He was a force as an outside linebacker rushing off the edge at UCF, but at 6-foot and 227 pounds with blazing speed, he could transition to being the bigger safety Carroll likes to have on his defense. Carroll said the intent is to start Griffin at weakside linebacker and let him use his speed in different areas on the field.

Griffin's college coach Scott Frost tweeted "About time," after the pick was made. Seattle general manager John Schneider said there was no extra pressure felt to draft Shaquem with his brother already on the roster.

"I think the thing that stood out to me was somebody told me they had sat down with (Shaquem) for five minutes and they gained the same inspiration from him as they did the first time they were able to sit down with John Wooden," Schneider said.

Griffin was waiting patiently in the green room through the first two days of the draft. He chose to spend the last day with his family at a nearby hotel watching. He sat through the entire fourth round without getting a call http://www.broncosauthorizedshops.com/authentic-su_a-cravens-jersey , but three picks into the fifth round the Seahawks called.

"It was up and down. The excitement, it's crazy because you're around so many great guys in that setting and you're in the green room and you're moving around and seeing how the anxiety is building up. Sometimes the pressure like that can break you and it is a lot of pressure," Shaquem said. "But I knew how it was going to go. I knew I wasn't going to be a first-round pick or anything like that. It was me making sure I was enjoying the moment that I was here in Dallas."

To get back to the playoffs, the Green Bay Packers' defense needs to improve against the pass.

Adding three tall receivers to the offense for quarterback Aaron Rodgers can't hurt either.

The two-time NFL MVP got help in the passing game on the third day of the NFL draft after the Packers prioritized pass defense in the early rounds.

They took Louisville's Jaire Alexander in the first round and Iowa's Josh Jackson, who led the nation with eight interceptions last year, in the second.

"Their ball skills are exceptional," coach Mike McCarthy said Saturday. "I think they're a great fit to how we want to play defense."

Pass defense was a problem again for a team that finished 7-9 last season. The Packers didn't make the playoffs for the first time since 2008.

The setback set up an offseason of change. Longtime executive Brian Gutekunst was promoted to general manager to succeed the retired Ted Thompson in January. McCarthy overhauled the coaching staff, including the hiring of Mike Pettine to replace Dom Capers as defensive coordinator.

Cornerback was the top priority. Besides drafting Alexander and Jackson, the Packers brought Tramon Williams back as a free agent to add another presence in the secondary.

"With the competition in the cornerback room, and the defensive back room Authentic Chase Edmonds Jersey , it's vastly improved," McCarthy said.

The focus shifted to offense for the late rounds on Saturday. The passing attack slipped to 25th in the league last season after Rodgers was limited to seven games because of a broken collarbone.

Gutekunst drafted three wideouts, starting with Missouri's J'Mon Moore in the fourth round. The 6-foot-3 senior had team highs of 65 catches and 1,082 yards last season.

Opportunities abound in the receiving group behind Davante Adams and Randall Cobb after veteran Jordy Nelson was cut in the offseason.

Other highlights from the Packers' draft class:

CATCHING ON: Besides Moore, the Packers also took two 6-5 receivers in South Florida's Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the fifth round and Notre Dame's Equanimeous St. Brown in the sixth round. Valdes-Scantling offers an intriguing blend of size and speed after he ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine at 4.37 seconds. Brown played with Packers backup quarterback DeShone Kizer for two seasons at Notre Dame.

CREATING COMPETION: By taking three receivers, the Packers stockpiled prospects to fill depth at a skill position for a second straight year. The strategy worked at running back in 2017, when fourth-round pick Jamaal Williams and fifth-rounder Aaron Jones emerged as solid contributors.

"You hope the guys embrace it and are pros about it and try to get better," scout Matt Malaspina said. "The whole group gets better as each guy gets better."

THAT'S SPECIAL: There might be competition at punter, too, after the Packers drafted JK Scott from Alabama. Scott had just five punts returned as a senior Bills Marshall Newhouse Jersey , crediting the success to a renewed focus on hang time. Last year's punter, Justin Vogel, was seventh in the NFL in net punting average at 41.6 yards.

Green Bay also took a long snapper with the second of their three seventh-round picks in Mississippi State's Hunter Bradley.

LATE PICKS: The selection of offensive lineman Cole Madison from Washington State in the fifth round addressed another position of need. The 6-5 Madison played tackle in college. But the Packers like his versatility and plan to use him at guard. Green Bay has questions on the right side of the line.

Green Bay returned to defense with its two other seventh-round picks, selecting end James Looney from California and edge rusher Kendall Donnerson from Southeast Missouri State.

STILL NEED: Unless Looney or Donnerson prove to be late steals, the Packers will still need help in the pass rush. Clay Matthews turns 32 this year, while Nick Perry was limited to 12 games last season because of injuries. They could use more production out of third-year backup Kyler Fackrell. Vince Biegel should start the season healthy after missing the first seven games of his rookie season with a foot injury.

"The biggest gains that we've always made have been our returning players," McCarthy said.

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