Shaquem Griffin was a versatile chess piece in college. He played in different positions for Central Florida, primarily outside linebacker and safety. But in the NFL, Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is planning to try him out at weakside linebacker first.

After being around Griffin during the Seahawks’ three-day rookie minicamp, Carroll has gotten a strong impression that the weakside is the right spot for the rookie.

“He looked very comfortable, very natural,’’ Carroll said per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “He has a sense already for scheme and terminology. The position is the right spot for him, it looks like. We can be aggressive and use his speed. He’s already shown some sense in the passing game. and he had a couple really good plays adjusting to zone coverage and man coverage and things we’ve already seen. So those were good things to take away. And we can’t really get a feel at all for special teams but we know that that’s going to be a factor so we’re excited about that.”

The Seahawks still have the ever-reliable K.J. Wright assuming the weakside linebacker role on the defense. However, he’s inching closer toward free agency in 2019, so Griffin could be seen as a potential long-term replacement if Wright does part ways with the team.

After seeing so many established players leave Seattle this offseason, that possibility certainly can’t be ruled out. But if Wright does stay long-term, Griffin should have enough versatility to take on whichever role Seattle needs to be filled on its defense.