How Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon developed ‘the mindset and the mouthpiece’

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Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

Devon Witherspoon delivers blows with force seldom seen from a man his size.

Witherspoon has consistently shown that unique aspect of his playing style throughout his rookie season for the Seattle Seahawks, putting together a series of highlight-reel smackdowns.

Though just 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, Witherspoon wants the opposition to feel him.

“I’m undersized, but I just want people to know I’m going to be physical,” Witherspoon said in an exclusive interview with FOX Sports. “I’m not going to shy away from contact. There’s a stigma that comes with you not being the typical type of football player — especially body-type-wise. I’m going against the odds.

“But that’s not the case with me. I’m a physical guy and I want to tackle, so I try to put that on tape.”

As the Seahawks try to remain in the NFC playoff picture, they’ll need Witherspoon’s physical presence down the stretch, starting Thursday when the Seahawks travel to face quarterback Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys.

Witherspoon was somewhat of a surprise selection at No. 5 overall in this year’s draft, but Seahawks coach Pete Carroll saw his potential, comparing him to a physical, dynamic defensive back he coached at USC: Troy Polamalu. Witherspoon’s playmaking ability now has him in the conversation for Defensive Rookie of the Year. The Illinois product has 57 combined tackles — including four tackles for loss — three sacks, a forced fumble, 14 pass breakups and an interception returned 97 yards for a score against the New York Giants.

According to Next Gen Stats, Witherspoon has recorded a 61.5% coverage success rate this season, eighth-highest among cornerbacks. He has also generated six pressures from the slot this season, fourth-most in the NFL.

“He’s been sticky and challenging guys and been in the right spot,” Seahawks defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt said about his rookie cornerback. “Overall, he’s been playing really, really good football.”

Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry got an up-close view of Witherspoon’s impact in 2021-22. Henry served as defensive backs coach during Witherspoon’s time with the Fighting Illini and noted that he has a rare combination of swagger, an ultra-competitive nature and an outstanding work ethic.

Henry describes Witherspoon as having “the mindset and the mouthpiece.”

“If you gave his trash talking a grade, it would be an A-plus,” Henry told FOX Sports. “A 10 out of 10. So that just screamed confidence. Just the way he was wired in terms of his confidence, it was unwavering, like a gnat that wouldn’t go away, that was always pestering you.

“He wouldn’t stop talking. That’s just who he is. That is his personality. That is how the Good Lord wired him. He talks 24/7 — on the field, off the field. If Devon isn’t talking, something is extremely wrong.”

Henry gave an example of Witherspoon’s confidence when he matched up against Nebraska receiver Trey Palmer, now playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in a much-anticipated battle last year. Palmer had put up a 237-yard, two-touchdown performance the week before facing Illinois.

“Spoon walks in the next day and I’m like, ‘Bruh, I don’t think you can cover him,'” Henry said. “And he’s like, ‘What?’ And I’m like, ‘Can you cover him?’

“And he’s like, ‘Hell, yeah, I can cover him. I’m a cover him all game. Ain’t nobody else gonna cover him but me.'”

Henry said Witherspoon matched up with Palmer and talked trash the entire game, to the point where he almost received an unsportsmanlike penalty for imitating Palmer crying after an incomplete pass on deep ball on third down.

Palmer finished with just one catch for one yard in a 26-9 loss to Illinois.

When he first arrived at Illinois, Witherspoon was 155 pounds dripping wet, Henry said. But through a nutrition plan and weight training, he eventually bulked up to 180 pounds. Still, Henry was concerned about the hard-hitting cornerback staying healthy while playing against the big, physical playmakers in the Big Ten.

“I really believe the Good Lord just creates people who are a little bit different,” Henry said. “I saw that the first day I got to campus. There was no denying that. He played so hard. He was not ducking contact. When I first got there, because he was so small in stature, I was trying to teach him how to cut tackle, just for himself. Like, ‘Dude, you’re in the Big Ten, small in stature with a lot of big backs. You can’t hit people high your whole career and think you’re going to last.’

“But he generates so much power and physicality because he’s so fast, and his ability to put his foot in the ground and explode from it is so uncanny for a guy of that stature. You have guys who run fast but may not hit hard. But he’s a guy who can do both.

“He plays pissed off and he plays fearless. That’s his mentality.”

With Seattle, Witherspoon has found a home at slot cornerback, where he’s played 261 of 661 defensive snaps. Per Next Gen Stats, the Seahawks have used at least five defensive backs on 78.8% of their snaps during the regular season — fifth-highest in the league — so Witherspoon is essentially a starter in that role. According to Pro Football Focus, he holds the fourth-highest grade in the league among corners.

“A 5-10, 180-pound corner coming into the NFL and really being a physical force is just so rare, and that’s where he’s certainly exceeded my expectations,” said FOX Sports NFL draft analyst Rob Rang, who follows the Seahawks closely. “And then with the Seahawks and the way Pete Carroll has traditionally had a corner as his left-side guy and [one as] his right-side guy, but has not ever moved corners to mix and match and follow receivers.

“To do that with a rookie, especially one with a limited amount of college playing time that Witherspoon had is remarkable. I think he is every bit the Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite at this point.”

For his part, Witherspoon says he likes playing slot cornerback because he’s closer to the action.

“Once I got in there, I realized this ain’t nothing that I haven’t been doing,” he told FOX Sports. “I’m more involved in the game plan now. To me, I just use it to my benefit because I like to tackle. So I’m in the box. I’m in the fits. And then I can also cover the guys in the slot as well. I think it just fits my ability.”

Witherspoon has been a key part of a much-needed turnaround for Seattle’s defense. The Seahawks had one of the worst run defenses in 2022. This season, they’ve held teams to a respectable 5.2 yards per play, No. 11 in the NFL, and their 32 sacks are tied for 11th.

The addition of Witherspoon improves an already talented secondary that includes Pro Bowlers in cornerback Tariq Woolen and safety Quandre Diggs, giving Seattle a ballhawk and physical tackler on the perimeter who can help slow down a team like San Francisco from creating chunk plays.

Henry said Witherspoon’s physical tools stood out from the start. He was a high jumper in high school in Pensacola, Florida, and initially wanted to play college basketball. In fact, he had to be coaxed back to playing football by his mother, Rhasheda Bickley, during his junior season.

Witherspoon’s basketball background has helped him develop the physical tools and instincts to dominate as a defensive back.

“In basketball, so much of it is one-on-one,” Rang said. “Shoulder fakes, having quick feet and just reaction skills. And I think at the cornerback position in particular, I think it really sets you up very well.

“And obviously with basketball, they have to catch the ball with their hands. And so, I think it just creates better ball skills as well. So I think it’s helped him a lot.”

Henry said one of the things he looks for in recruiting cornerbacks is a basketball background.

“You’re covering a guy the entire game [in basketball],” Henry said. “You could switch off and cover another guy. So it’s just like playing defensive back. If you’re playing man-to-man, you have to have good eyes and you have to have good discipline. And when the ball goes up, you have to go get it at its highest point. So a lot of those qualities translate.

“It was literally a perfect match, Devon being a basketball player with hoop dreams, with an aggressive style of play. Playing football, it just transitioned so well. And I think once he started to have the success that he had on the field, it was like, ‘This could probably take me somewhere.’”

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While he’s developed into an impact player his first season in the NFL, Witherspoon says there’s still plenty of room for improvement. According to Pro Football Focus, Witherspoon has seven missed tackles and he’s tied for second on the team with five penalties, including three for pass interference.

“Teams can scheme you up and they know how to beat you,” Witherspoon said. “They study you up very well, so they know all your weaknesses, even when you think they don’t. That’s what makes the game kind of fun because you always have to be on your A-game when you go out on the field.

“That makes it more fun for me.”

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.