While they may have surprised some people by using their two first-round draft picks on cornerback Devon Smith and wide receiver Jaxson Smith- Njigba. General Manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll picked the two highest-rated players when it came to selection time.
Devon Witherspoon Cornerback 6-0 180 pounds 5th pick overall
The Seattle Seahawks surprised everyone with their number five pick in the draft. The fact that they kept the pick was a bit of a surprise for many. When they used the pick on Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon there were many raised eyebrows. Witherspoon is a legit player. The raised eyebrows were for the drafting of a cornerback instead of a defensive lineman . Here is the draft card on Witherspoon
PROSPECT INFORMATION
- Position – DB
- Height – 6-0
- Weight – 180
- Class – Junior
- Hometown – Pensacola, Fla.
- High School – Pine Forest
- Instagram – lilspoon___
- Twitter – DevonWitherspo1
- COLLEGE SNAPSHOT
2022 Thorpe Award Finalist
2022 Consecus All- American
Two Time All-Big Ten.
Did not play football until his junior year in high school.
NFL COMBINE RATING
Strengths
- Allowed completion rate of just 34.9% in 2022, per PFF.
- Impressive route recognition and trigger on the throw.
- Eyes are probing from off coverages.
- Well-balanced defending high/low route concepts from zone.
- Instinctive with 14 pass breakups in 2022.
- Takes ball-side angles to disrupt the catch point.
- Zeroes in on receiver’s hands on deep throws.
- Physical with a striker’s mentality in run support and as tackler versus the pass.
Weaknesses
- Can be jab-stepped off-balance by release fakes.
- Coverage is very handsy after the first five yards.
- Sluggish to transition hips and match route breaks from his backpedal.
- Top-end speed could be an issue at the next level.
- Lacks juice to make up the distance when he gets behind.
- Will bite hard on play-action and double moves.
WHY THIS MAKES SENSE:
The move makes sense in that this gives the Seahawks one of the best secondary if not the best secondary in the league. A rear guard of Witherspoon, Tariq Woolen, Quandre Diggs Julian Love/ Jamal Adams will give any offensive coordinator nightmares. One of Witherspoon’s strengths is his ability to tackle.
WHY THIS IS A RISK
Some of the criticism is that he is slow to turn the hips in coverage and that he is a little handsy. Having said all that what better place for a raw but talented receiver to learn his craft than the Seahawks?
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