Devon Witherspoon Gets His Flowers From Pro Football Focus

It’s been an offseason full of the Seahawks getting disrespected despite being the defending champions, but one player is getting his due.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) walks off the field after the game against the Arizona Cardinals. | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Pro Football Focus has been publishing their annual series of player rankings over the last several weeks. For the most part, these lists have not been especially complimentary towards the Seahawks. Even winning a super bowl hasn’t been enough to get the NFL analyst world on board with understanding how good this team is, as it turns out.

One Spoon Stands Alone

There have been two exceptions to this, generally, when you look at this series and other similar publications in recent months. The first is Jaxon Smith-Njigba, universally hailed as a top five wide receiver after winning Offensive Player of the Year. The second is Devon Witherspoon, who just got a big vote of confidence from PFF with their cornerback rankings.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) and Seattle Seahawks safety Nick Emmanwori (3) celebrate a stop against the New England Patriots. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Spoon came in first, beating out Sauce Gardner and Pat Surtain II. Maybe we shouldn’t find this surprising, given the website did have Witherspoon as the top-graded cornerback in football during the 2025 season. But they didn’t have to rank him at the top just because of that. They chose to, because they believe he truly is that good. And with good reason.

The King of Versatility

In PFF’s writeup on Spoon, they point out that he played a career-high 461 snaps as an outside cornerback last season while still offering value as a slot corner when necessary. They also mention his production rushing the quarterback and as an elite run defender, making him the total package at the position. No one does it quite like Witherspoon.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (center right) forces a fumble by New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl LX. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The fact that Devon was able to pull such a complimentary ranking despite missing five games last season, as well as only getting one interception, proves that his value and utility jumps off the screen even without the benefit of the most obvious indicators of high-level play at the position. He’s special, and I wouldn’t trade him for any corner in football.

Pay The Man

Pro Football Focus is the first publication I’ve seen this offseason that put Witherspoon at the top spot on a cornerback ranking list. But every one I’ve seen places him near the top, marking him as one of the few Seahawks that receives universal respect and acclaim. So, with all that being said, the remaining question is when is Seattle going to lock him up long-term?

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Keeping arguably the best cornerback in football, and doing it as early as possible, is presumably a high priority for a team that is trying to defend a title. It will be expensive, but great players cost money, and you can’t win without great players. Hopefully, before long, Witherspoon is tethered to this team for the long-term.

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