NFL exects praise Seattle for Devon Witherspoon selection: 'toughest' corner in recent memory
It turns out the No. 5 pick wasn’t as big a surprise as many thought.
When the Seattle Seahawks selected Devon Witherspoon with the No. 5 overall pick, it came as a surprise to many.
But following the draft, in an article by The Athletic, it turns out the selection of Witherspoon was a move many NFL executives viewed as a savvy, head-strong move that indicates the direction the franchise is heading.
“I think [Witherspoon] was the best corner in the draft,” one executive told The Athletic. “They did a really good job of not overthinking it and getting a corner that can help them. Witherspoon is extremely intelligent the way he plays the game. He is quite possibly the toughest and most physical corner in the last little bit. The skill set doesn’t jump off the screen like it did with Sauce Gardner and some of those guys, but the football IQ was special.”
Witherspoon joins a Seahawks secondary that already includes top cornerback Tariq Woolen and one of the best safety pairings in Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams.
“Witherspoon strikes me as a Pete Carroll type — tough, dependable, super competitive,” another executive said.
In college, Witherspoon recorded three interceptions with 14 passes defended in his last collegiate season to go along with his 41 total tackles in 12 games.
With his addition, Seattle's defense gets some needed assurance and as a team, the Seahawks continue to chance down the gold standard in the NFC — the San Francisco 49ers.
