Seahawks Thrilled to Land 'Rare Player' in Devon Witherspoon at No. 5
RENTON, Wash. - Over the past 13 years, Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider has earned a reputation for throwing curveballs during the NFL Draft.
But while some experts and fans may have been caught off-guard by Seattle's decision to use its fifth overall pick on Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon in Thursday's first round, drafting Witherspoon wasn't a reach to fill a need. In fact, sticking with the philosophy that yielded fantastic results with a stellar 2022 draft class a year ago, he bypassed obvious needs such as the defensive line to simply draft who the team viewed as the best player available.
When asked if it was difficult to skip out on a top defensive line prospect in Georgia standout Jalen Carter or Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson, while he acknowledged the defensive line remains an area of concern to address later in the draft, it wasn't a challenge given where Witherspoon lied on the Seahawks draft board.
"No, because we had an order and we were ready to rip," Schneider responded. I mean, there's things that were pretty tempting, right? But you gotta just stay true to what you're doing and that's what we did."
What the Seahawks did, contrary to the projections on the vast majority of mock drafts, was add what coach Pete Carroll called a "rare player" in Witherspoon, a First-Team All-American and Jim Thorpe Award finalist who brings a finely tuned all-around skill set and relentless physicality to an already talented secondary.
Aside from his remarkable production last season, including holding opposing quarterbacks to a 35 percent completion percentage when targeting him and allowing no touchdowns in coverage, Carroll was blown away by Witherspoon's mindset. During a pre-draft visit to the VMAC earlier this month, his mentality shined through as the coach and player watched film together.
Lauding Witherspoon for his toughness, ball skills, and love of the game, Carroll raised a few eyebrows in the media room when he compared their latest top-10 pick to one of the best players he ever has coached in former USC star and NFL Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu.
"He's a rare player," Carroll said. "Since the years we've been here, we haven't seen a guy like this. We have not drafted corners high just because we haven't come across a guy of this makeup. It's his athletic ability, it's his speed, it's his playmaking, it's his mentality.
"I haven't come across a guy like this in a long time. The last time I recognized this kind of makeup was back at USC when we had a guy that you guys may know. Troy Polamalu was a guy who had an extraordinary way about the way he played the game, and I saw this connection between what Devon does and how he looks at the game and how he approaches it that just knocked me out. I'm just really excited about this. He's physical, he's tough, he's got an attitude, he's going to bring it, he's going to fit right in with our guys."
Born and raised in Pensacola, Florida, Witherspoon didn't even start playing football until his junior year of high school, focusing on basketball instead prior to the point. An unranked, zero-star recruit despite two strong seasons at the prep level, he didn't receive a scholarship offer from Illinois until the August after his senior year.
But right away, Witherspoon made a name for himself, leading the Illini in special teams tackles as a true freshman before breaking into the starting lineup full time the following season. Improving rapidly thanks to hard work, he evolved from a key backup into one of the nation's premier shutdown corners in only four years time, setting the stage for him to be the first player at his position drafted this weekend.
Considering his lack of experience, Carroll couldn't believe what he saw when he turned on the tape, witnessing a player whose instincts and football savvy far eclipsed expectations for a defender who only had six years of football under his belt. At this stage, it became clear to him and Schneider that they were watching a special talent and he cemented his place atop the Seahawks big board.
"He’s a natural athlete and he’s got a great spatial sense of awareness," Carroll explained. "And he’s got this other part of his makeup that allows him to go for it. I think football was just waiting for him. He just needed to show up and get out there. It comes to him very easily, he’s a great learner. He was making a big deal about, ‘I can pick it up, I can move around, I can do whatever you need me to do, I learn fast.’ I believed him. I was impressed with all of that. I just think he was a natural player and it was just kind of waiting to happen.”
Of course, Witherspoon won't just walk into Seattle and be handed a starting job. Both Carroll and Schneider provided plenty of praise for incumbent starter Mike Jackson, who recently signed his exclusive rights free agent tender and has been a pleasant surprise for the franchise since originally joining the team as a practice squad signing in 2021. He won't give up his spot in the lineup without a fight and the rookie will have to seize it from him.
But after investing a top-five pick in him, the Seahawks don't believe they reached for one of the few blue chip talents in this class or made a dreaded luxury pick, expecting great things from Witherspoon joining forces with Tariq Woolen, Jamal Adams, and Quandre Diggs in a loaded secondary. Enamored by how he sees the game and his approach as much as his physical tools and football skills, Carroll can't wait to get to work with his new student and see where the playmaker fits into the defensive puzzle.
"He's something. It's going to be exciting for us to incorporate it and find it. He's going to have to come in here and play better than our guys who are playing - he's going to have to compete like everyone else - but if we can corral that and get that all focused in the right direction, he's going to be a real factor for us."
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