The Seahawks had a top-five pick in this year’s draft for the first time in the Pete Carroll and John Schneider era. They used it on Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon, the consensus best player in his class at the position. While no draft pick is a slam dunk, he went No. 5 overall for a reason: Witherspoon has all the talent and physical tools he needs to succeed at the next level and a coaching staff that knows how to develop defensive backs if nothing else.
In his state of the franchise piece for Seattle, Adam Rank at NFL.com picked Witherspoon as the team’s breakout star for the 2023 season.
“I loved the Seahawks’ selection of Witherspoon with the fifth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. I was in on him when I wrote my Mock Draft With a Twist, pairing him with the Colts at fourth overall. But Seattle looks like the perfect spot. I realize I’m just a commentator, but I dig seeing guys like Jason McCourty agreeing with me. It’s kind of like when the teacher gave you high marks in school.”
Witherspoon seems like an easy pick. Even though cornerback is probably the most-difficult position to play in the modern game, Witherspoon was already playing at a high level for a nearly-NFL worthy Illinois defense. A lot of great cornerbacks struggle as rookies, but Witherspoon should become one of the league’s top cover corners once the game slows down for him.
If that development takes time, the Seahawks can rest assured that they have a solid starter in Mike Jackson, who is not ceding his starting spot on the left boundary without a fight.
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