The Los Angeles Rams added to their young and inexperienced cornerback room this week by bringing in a former rival, signing Ahkello Witherspoon as a free agent.
Witherspoon spent four years with the 49ers and the last two with the Steelers, and he now comes to the Rams where he’ll get another chance to start in the secondary. Injuries have plagued him throughout his career but if he can stay healthy, he can help Los Angeles in a big way.
Here are five things to know about the former third-round pick.
1
He’s 6-foot-2 with 4.45 speed
Part of what made Witherspoon a promising prospect coming into the NFL in 2017 was his athletic profile. He’s listed at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, so he has the size teams like at the cornerback position.
Not to mention, he moves well for a player that big, running a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash at the combine six years ago. Witherspoon has the size to hold up against bigger receivers and the speed to keep up with faster ones down the field, making him an intriguing player in the Rams secondary.
2
He had the best vertical jump of any CB at 2017 combine
Witherspoon tested really well at the combine, which helped him land in the third round. He jumped 40.5 inches in the vertical, which was the best of any cornerback that year and the sixth-best overall. His vertical allows him to make plays on the ball in 50-50 situations, particularly when combined with his impressive length at 6-2.
3
Finished with 2nd-most PBUs in the nation as a senior in 2016
Witherspoon was a ball hawk in 2016, his final year at Colorado. Though he only had one interception, he finished with 23 total pass breakups, which put him second in the entire country. The only player with more pass deflections was Tedric Thompson, his teammate at Colorado, who had 25.
He has 35 career pass breakups in 60 NFL games, so he hasn’t quite been deflecting passes at as high a rate as he was in college – though that’s to be expected, given the level of competition.
4
He has 3 PBUs in 3 career games against the Rams
Witherspoon spent four years with the 49ers, but he only played three games against them where he was on the field for at least one defensive snap. He broke up one pass in each of those games, had eight total tackles and forced a fumble in the 2017 matchup.
The Rams should know his game well, having faced him three times in the past and watching his film a bunch before their yearly bouts with the 49ers, so they’ll have a good sense of his strengths and weaknesses.
5
Allowed 5th-lowest completion percentage of any CB in 2021
According to Pro Football Focus, Witherspoon allowed the fifth-lowest completion rate of any qualified cornerback in 2021, giving up a completion percentage of just 48.5% (16 catches on 33 targets). His passer rating allowed of 48.0 was also the fourth-best of any cornerback that year, recording three interceptions and only giving up one touchdown on the season.
