Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: CB Devon Witherspoon - Instant Stardom?

Coming off one of the best seasons by a cornerback in college football history and a top-five selection in the NFL draft, Devon Witherspoon will look to get off to a fast start with the Seattle Seahawks forming a dynamic secondary duo with returning star Riq Woolen.

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jul 17, 2023 11:06 AM EDT

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to July and offseason activities in the rearview mirror, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC later this month, officially ushering in the 2023 season.

To celebrate the new incoming season, we'll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2023 campaign.

Devon Witherspoon, Cornerback

Height/Weight: 6-0, 180 pounds

2022 Stats*: 40 tackles, three interceptions, 14 pass breakups

*College stats at Illinois

Known for his basketball and track exploits at Pine Forest High School in Pensacola, Florida, Witherspoon didn't begin playing football until his junior year and wasn't given a star rating as a recruit. But despite his lack of experience, after originally committing to Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, he signed with Illinois four days before the start of training camp and quickly carved out a role as a core special teams player as a true freshman. He finished with a team-high 13 tackles on special teams and started three games on defense late in the season, catapulting him to much greater success in coming years.

Named a starter as a sophomore, he finished with 33 tackles and two interceptions in seven games for the Fighting Illini in a COVID-shortened 2020 season. He began to emerge as a viable NFL prospect as a junior, leading the team with nine pass breakups and racking up eight tackles for loss in 2021. The physical, feisty cornerback closed out his collegiate career as a consensus All-American selection, picking off three passes while allowing zero touchdowns and limiting quarterbacks to a 35.5 percent completion percentage when targeting him. On the heels of a dominant senior season, the Seahawks invested their fifth overall pick in him to pair him with Pro Bowl cornerback Riq Woolen.

Best-Case Scenario: The latest top-five pick at the cornerback position to find immediate stardom, Witherspoon totals 58 tackles with stellar run defense on the outside and nearly matches Woolen's six interception total from a year ago, picking off five passes and breaking up 12 passes on his way to a Pro Bowl selection and Defensive Player of the Year award honors.

Worst-Case Scenario: Though he wins the starting job opposite of Woolen coming out of camp, Witherspoon endures growing pains working against top NFL receivers and allows four touchdowns in coverage as a rookie while recording only one interception, leading to veteran Mike Jackson seeing some snaps in his place during the middle of the season.

What to Expect in 2023: Whether fair or not, after seeing Woolen thrive as a fifth-round pick a year ago, expectations will be sky high for Witherspoon in Seattle right out of the gate. Playing for one of the NFL's most renowned defensive back gurus in coach Pete Carroll and carrying the weight that comes with being a top-five draft choice, the pressure will be on the rookie to deliver immediately and justify his draft position as an instant standout in an already loaded secondary.

But while such pressure would be problematic for some incoming rookies and he will have to earn a starting job over Jackson and Tre Brown in his first training camp, Witherspoon's blend of physicality, ball skills, and top-notch football instincts should set him up for early success. With opposing quarterbacks likely being more cautious about testing Woolen after he tied for the NFL lead in interceptions a year ago, there should be ample opportunities for the rookie to get his hands on the football and create turnovers. Adding in his versatility to play in the slot in a pinch, he likely will bring new wrinkles to the position that will create fun schematic flexibility for Carroll and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt to work with and in time, he has the talent to become a top-10 corner in quick fashion.

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