If Keisean Nixon is no longer going to return kickoffs, the Packers will need to replace him.
That could be Lideatrick “Tulu” Griffin, who the Packers signed to a futures contract last month.
Griffin caught 126 passes for 1,490 yards and nine touchdowns in four seasons at Mississippi State. His ticket to making an NFL roster and sticking around, however, probably will be his play on special teams.
In 2021, he averaged an SEC-leading 32.8 yards per kickoff return with a 100-yard touchdown against NC State.
In 2022, he was first-team all-SEC and earned some all-American honors as a returner as he led the nation with a 32.3-yard average on kickoff returns, highlighted by a 92-yard touchdown against Auburn.
As a senior in 2023, he averaged only 21.9 yards per kickoff return but set career highs with 50 receptions, 658 receiving yards, 13.2 yards per catch, 732 yards of total offense and five offensive touchdowns.
Even with the down year as a kickoff returner, his career average of 30.8 yards per runback ranks second in SEC history.
“What I like about it is, well, it’s a lot of different reasons,” Griffin told Packers On SI recently. “The main one is it’ll give you time to see the field. It’s different from punt return, because punt return is like a split-second, but with kickoff return, you got 4, 5, or 10 seconds to know where you’re going to go.
“Especially if you have a good connection with the kick-return team that’s blocking for you, it’s going to be a good day on the special teams team that day.
Griffin went undrafted in 2024 and spent training camp with the Raiders, where he averaged 30.0 yards on three kickoff returns. He also spent a couple weeks on the Browns’ practice squad. So, he’s gotten a taste of the new kickoff rules that Nixon, a two-time All-Pro, didn’t like.
“I like it,” Griffin said. “You really just have to get past the first wave and then you’re on to the kicker.”
At the time of this interview, Griffin was unaware that Nixon had said he didn’t want to return kickoffs anymore so he could focus on playing cornerback. “I’m kind of through with that,” Nixon said at the end of the season.
While coach Matt LaFleur said no decision had been made, there’s a possibility that Nixon’s importance on defense will create an opportunity on returns.
“Yes, sir, and I’m ready for it, too” Griffin said.
Born in Philadelphia, Miss., his full name is Lideatrick Shurmun Griffin. Long before he was an Under Armour All-American, he went by the nickname of Tulu.
“We used to play a lot in the yard and stuff like that,” he explained. “I was much faster and a lot smaller, so everybody used to call me Too Loose, but they ended up shortening me down to Tulu. So, we just took it and ran with it.
Griffin worked out for the Packers in September after he was released by the Browns.
“I really just been playing the waiting game,” he said. “I had like six or seven workouts with teams. But that was about it. Just basically playing the waiting game, see who’s going to pick me up. …
“You really just got to trust in God and trust in your ability to play football and everything else is going to fall into place.”
Still, it was a long time to not be on a team, and there were no guarantees he’d ever get another shot. Did he ever start to doubt?
“It crept in a little bit,” he said, “but when you start having doubt, all the marbles start falling out of place. So, I tried my best to keep my focus on the main thing, but doubt definitely started to roll in. It was hard, though, for sure, but I managed to get through it.”
Finally, in January, he got the good news he’d been waiting for. With the Packers’ season complete and the page turned to building a roster for 2025, they wanted to take a longer look at the playmaking receiver/returner.
The first person he called was his mom, Nechie.
“I told her that I was going up to Wisconsin to do a physical,” he said. “She was happy for me, and we had a good moment after I came back. When I first told her, she was like, ‘Nah don’t get too heavy right now. We’ll see what happens.’ And then I signed, and I told her and she was happy for me when I got back home.”
With the Packers, there will be one familiar face in the locker room. Receiver Malik Heath played at Mississippi State in 2020 and 2021. As an undrafted free agent, Heath just completed his second season with the Packers.
“He was happy for me, but he was like, ‘The work’s not over with. Don’t get too comfortable,’” Griffin said. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ I don’t want to get too comfortable because that’s when things start happening that’s out of my control. He was like, ‘Just keep your head up. You got another opportunity. Everybody don’t get another opportunity in this league. Take advantage of it.’ I was really just soaking in everything he was telling me as a big brother to a little brother.”
Now that he’s in the NFL, why is Griffin going to make an impact?
“When I was at the Raiders, I stayed injured most of the time and I really didn’t get the chance to show my ability to play football,” he said. “But I’m in the best shape of my life this year, so it’s going to be a great movie to watch.”
