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The Buffalo Bills tapped into 1990s rap history with their latest signing.
After addressing some pressing defensive needs in last week’s NFL Draft, the Bills continued to work on the defense with an undrafted free agent who can boost the secondary while also giving the team some famous new fans.
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Rapper Joins Bills Mafia
The Bills announced this week that they agreed to a contract with undrafted USC cornerback Olaijah Griffin, who happens to be the son of G-funk pioneer Warren G. The “Regulate” rapper took to Twitter to share his excitement about his son’s signing and give a shout out to Bills Mafia.
“I’m rooting for my son to come there and make the team and add value to the mafia success,” he wrote on Twitter. “He is a true baller and built his own stage for himself. I’m just a dad supporting my Son.”
As ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques reported, Griffin has another connection to rap history. His uncle is legendary rapper and producer Dr. Dre, who is Warren G’s step-brother and part of a collective of Southern California rappers who gained mega fame in the 1990s. Warren G played a pivotal role in bringing them all together, as he was the first to introduce Dr. Dre to future collaborator Snoop Dogg.
The new Bills cornerback has some other fans from the rap industry. As Sports Illustrated’s All Trojans noted, rapper YG commented on Griffin’s Instagram post announcing his signing with the Bills, leaving a fire emoji.
Griffin’s Play Earns Praise
While the connection to rap history earned the Bills some attention, their newest cornerback earned praise for his play on the field. Though Griffin was not selected in last week’s draft, he was seen as one of the most coveted undrafted free agents. Zach Tantillo of Pro Football Focus rated him as one of the top 10 undrafted free agent signings and predicted that he could have a successful NFL career.
“There isn’t a wide receiver on the planet Griffin isn’t willing to go up against, and that’s both a blessing and curse for the undersized corner,” Tantillo wrote. “Griffin arrived at USC at 172 pounds and left at 175, which is a small cause for concern, but that lack of size did not stop him from posting the 12th-highest coverage grade by a cornerback in 2020 at 81.5.”
The report noted that Griffin brings a physical play style despite his smaller size and compared him to a “more explosive Levi Wallace.” Griffin could also come to Buffalo motivated by being overlooked by 31 other NFL teams. As Claudette Montana Pattison of Sports Illustrated’s All Trojans noted, Griffin didn’t hold back his disappointment after leaving USC early for the NFL and then going undrafted.
“Crushed never knew I could feel this way,” he wrote on Twitter after the draft.
Griffin appeared considerably more upbeat after he was signed by Buffalo, taking to Twitter to share an image of himself wearing a Bills jersey and including a reference to his dad’s most iconic song in the caption.
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