Category: Finance | Title: Was Archie Griffin Good in the NFL | Tag: NFL | Meta Description: Archie Griffin's NFL career stats, draft position, teams, and performance facts...
Was Archie Griffin Good in the NFL
Archie Griffin was selected in the first round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, chosen 24th overall, and he played six seasons in the league from 1976 to 1982, according to the Pro Football Hall of Fame database Pro Football Hall of Fame. His NFL career is often discussed alongside his historic college achievements at Ohio State, where he won the Heisman Trophy twice, but his professional production was more modest and measured against league averages for running backs of his era.
In the NFL, Griffin appeared in 80 regular-season games and recorded 3,242 rushing yards on 834 carries, which translates to a 3.9 yards per carry average over his career, as tracked by Pro-Football-Reference Pro-Football-Reference. He added 1,043 receiving yards on 114 catches and scored 14 total touchdowns, combining rushing and receiving scores across his Bengals tenure.
Archie Griffin NFL Draft Position and Team History
The Cincinnati Bengals used the 24th overall pick on Griffin in the 1976 draft, a selection that reflected his dominant college résumé but also the Bengals' need for a running back alongside veterans like Essex Johnson and Boobie Clark NFL.com. He remained with Cincinnati for his entire six-year career, never being traded or signing with another franchise, and he retired after the 1982 season at age 27.
During his time with the Bengals, Griffin was part of rosters that reached the AFC Championship Game in the 1981 season, though he was not the primary ball carrier in that postseason run, as Pete Johnson and David Verser led the ground and receiving attacks NFL.com. His role shifted in his final seasons as the team prioritized other backs, and he was released before the 1983 campaign, ending his professional career without a Super Bowl appearance or Pro Bowl selection.
Archie Griffin NFL Career Statistics and Legacy
Griffin's 3,242 career rushing yards place him among the more durable college-to-NFL transitions, though his per-carry average of 3.9 yards trails the league average for his era, which hovered near 4.2 yards for running backs in the late 1970s and early 1980s Pro-Football-Reference. His receiving contribution of 1,043 yards and 14 total touchdowns reflects a change-of-pace role rather than a feature back workload in the Bengals' offensive system.
In terms of legacy, Archie Griffin is primarily remembered for his two Heisman Trophies and his 4,557 career rushing yards at Ohio State, records that set him apart in the college game Heisman. His NFL career is often cited as a case study in the difficulty of translating college dominance to professional production, and he is not ranked among the top running backs of his draft class in standard NFL historical lists, which favor players like Tony Dorsett and Earl Campbell.