Seattle surprise: Seahawks bolster secondary with Devon Witherspoon

Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

Once again, the Seattle Seahawks zigged when others expected them to zag when comes to the NFL Draft.

NFL observers predicted the Seahawks would select a defensive lineman like Jalen Carter or Tyree Wilson, but instead Seattle general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll took Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the No. 5 selection in the 2023 draft.

It’s the first cornerback Seattle selected in the first round since Kelly Jennings at No. 31 overall in 2006.

“He’s not just a cover guy,” said Jim Nagy, executive director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl and former Seahawks scout said about Witherspoon. “He’s an all-around football player. He’s a lot of fun to watch in run support, which you can’t say about a lot of corners. But then he can play man coverage, he can play zone coverage and he has that ball-hawking quality.”

Seattle was expected to add help up front to a defense that gave up 150 rushing yards a contest last season, No. 30 in the NFL. And the Seahawks already had two Pro Bowlers in the secondary last season in rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen and safety Quandre Diggs.

However, Witherspoon gives Seattle another talented cover corner opposite Woolen in an NFC West division that includes San Francisco 49ers receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, along with Cooper Kupp with the Los Angeles Rams.

The Seahawks still have another selection at No. 20 overall in the first round to improve the team’s pass rush. And they signed reinforcements up front in free agency, including defensive lineman Dre’mont Jones and the return of defensive end Jarran Reed.

Seattle also brought back middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, along with signing linebacker Devin Bush and safety Julian Love, so they should be much better defensively.

Witherspoon finished with 157 combined tackles — including 25 tackles for loss — along with five career interceptions and 25 pass breakups in four seasons as a starter for Illinois. He joins a Seattle defensive backfield that includes cornerback Michael Jackson, safety Jamal Adams and slot defender Coby Bryant, along with Woolen, Diggs and Love.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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