Position: Quarterback
Height: 6'2" Weight: 222 lbs
College: Baylor
Drafted: First Round Pick, Second Overall
Robert Griffin III has been under a microscope ever since the Mike Shanahan era started to go south. Now Griffin is in his second season with current head coach Jay Gruden and things seem to be getting better with the numerous offseason changes that the Redskins have made. Here are five things to know about the former AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowler:
#1. Robert Griffin III hails from Copperas Cove, Texas and played his high school football at Copperas Cove High School. His junior year (2006), He threw for 2,001 yards, 25 touchdowns and two interceptions in addition to rushing for 876 yards and eight touchdowns. His final year at Copperas Cove High, he threw for 1,356 yards 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He ran for 1,285 (7.3 yards per carry) and 24 touchdowns.
According to 247 Sports Composite, he was a four star recruit in the class of 2008. The composite ranked him as the No. 5 dual threat quarterback and No. 33 best player in Texas. He was a two sport athlete and he played football and Track & Field.
He was one of nation's top high school sprinters and his 2007 Gatorade Texas Boys Track & Field Athlete of Year award proved that. He won it after setting state records in both 110-(13.55 seconds with personal best of 13.3) and 300-(35.33 seconds) meter hurdles.
He received a host of impressive accolades for his play on the football field as well:
- No. 54 on San Antonio Express-News Texas Top 100
- Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Fab 44
- No. 55 on Austin American-Statesman's Fab 55
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram Texas Top 100 member
- Waco Tribune-Herald Top 100 selection
- Ranked No. 2 on Waco Tribune Herald's Central Texas Top 25 list
- Earned first-team 2007 Waco Tribune-Herald Super Centex honors as utility player
- Associated Press Class 4A All-State honorable mention
- First-team All-District 16-4A quarterback
- 2007 Texas Football Magazine "Texas Top 300" member
- Texas Football Magazine state's top 20 quarterbacks list prior to senior season
- First-team All-District 16-4A selection
He received offers from Baylor, Kansas, Houston, Nebraska and Tennessee. He chose to play his college football at Baylor.
#2. Here's a great inside look into how his Baylor career began and ended:
#3. Robert Griffin III was drafted by the Washington Redskins as the second overall pick in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Redskins fans saw his ability with these two plays and they will never get old:
He won AP, PFW/PFWA and Sporting News Offensive Rookie of the Year, was named to the All-Rookie Team and made the Pro Bowl.
After Starting all 13 games he played in, he re-injured his knee against the Seattle Seahawks and was out for the rest of the season. He did win the Redskins Ed Block Courage Award that season. The Washington Post's Dave Sheinin, Mark Maske and Mike Jones collaborated on a piece that looked at his injury from all sides in the Seahawks game.
#4. Griffin has been heavily criticized by former teammate Chris Cooley and the media in the past for his play but Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Cian Fahey feels that Griffin's future is still bright and he has put enough good things on film to just cast him aside as a lost cause:
"At 25 years of age, it's way too early to give up on Robert Griffin III. He has done too many good things at this level to be cast off. He may never be a top-five player at his position—and those of us on the outside can't speak to his character—but all he needs is to show more consistency in the things he does well."
"Griffin isn't broken. It's not like he is Chad Henne or Ryan Fitzpatrick or any other veteran quarterback who has proved himself completely incompetent. He's still too young and too talented to be written off. That talent extends to being a passer too, not just an athlete."
#5. Robert Griffin has all the tools he lacked last year and the year before. This time the team has changed with him.
Bottom Line: Robert Griffin III has had some bumps in the road. What quarterback doesn't? With a new NFL season comes a new opportunity for Griffin to lead the Redskins to glory and the team itself to quiet the doubters.