Seahawks Pick CB Devon Witherspoon: What Does He Bring to Seattle?
Throwing the first curve ball in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks opted against drafting Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, instead upgrading their secondary by selecting Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon fifth overall.
After not selecting a cornerback earlier than the third round in their previous 13 drafts together, Witherspoon easily becomes the highest selected player at the position by general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll.
A consensus First-Team All-American selection for the Fighting Illini's top-ranked scoring defense, Witherspoon capped off a fantastic college career emerging as one of the top shutdown cornerbacks in college football. Along with intercepting three passes, he generated 14 pass breakups and was named a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation's best defensive back.
Though only weighting 180 pounds, Witherspoon hits well above his weight class, regularly decking running backs and receivers in open field with bone-jarring hits, playing like a linebacker in the secondary. He's eager to throw his hat into the ring defending the run and teams should be cautioned against running swing routes or screens his direction, as he has a propensity to go nuclear rocketing into the backfield like a heat-seeking missile.
In coverage, Witherspoon thrives both in man and zone coverages, functioning like a probe actively monitoring his entire side of the field, ready to work off his man to pluck misfired passes out of the air for interceptions. He excels at staying in the receiver's hip pocket and undercutting routes in the short-to-intermediate game, allowing him to get his hands on the football frequently for pass breakups and picks, often forcing quarterbacks to avoid him as the game progresses.
A former multi-sport standout, Witherspoon brings competitiveness and earned his keep at Illinois first as a special teams player, redeeming qualities that the Seahawks value even from first-round selections that likely stood out in his evaluation.
If there are concerns for Witherspoon coming into the pros, his aggressiveness in coverage has left him hanging out to dry at times on play fakes, leading to a few big plays surrendered downfield on double moves. He also may not have quite enough juice to stick with the NFL's fastest receivers in the vertical game, though his sound technique will help him in that capacity.
Running like a bat out of hell seeking out the football, Witherspoon's pursuit angles can be shaky at times and put him out of position, leading to missed opportunities against the run. Admittedly a bit undersized for a boundary corner, he will also have to work on wrapping up better in the pros, as his shoulder hits likely won't be quite as effective getting NFL running backs and receivers to the ground.
Like any player, Witherspoon will have to earn his keep in Seattle and a starting job won't be handed to him. But after rising from a special teams standout into one of the premier cornerbacks in all of college football over three years in Champagne, the Seahawks will be banking on him jumping into the lineup immediately across from Tariq Woolen with hopes of forming another "Legion of Boom" caliber secondary to help push the team back into contention.
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