2023 NFL Draft Preview: Scouting report on Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon

As highlighted in a number of earlier articles, cornerback is a necessity for this Seattle Seahawks staff that can doubtless be addressed this offseason. We’ve coated most of the prime cornerbacks on this yr’s class and on this one we’ll overview one other Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon.

Peak – 6 foot – Weight – 183

Video games watched – 2022 Wyoming, Michigan, Minnesota, Chattanooga

Earlier cornerback scouting experiences – Joey Porter Jr., Christian Gonzalez, Kelee Ringo

Strengths

• His greatest attribute is his excellent (7 on 1-9 scouting scale) athleticism which reveals up on virtually each play. Witherspoon has extraordinarily fluid hips that permit him to flip out and in of breaks with ease on double strikes and out of press positioning.
• Witherspoon moreover has excellent (7) play velocity. Even when he’s sloppy out of his press or cedes an excessive amount of separation in off protection, he has the make-up velocity essential to get proper again in on the play.
• Witherspoon has a fast set off that permits him to shoot up discipline and make a play on something beneath when in zone. He’s very twitchy as an athlete as he appears to be like like a receiver together with his actions.
• On man protection routes the place he’s affected person together with his leverage and isn’t too aggressive with opening his hips, he is ready to keep in section and information the receiver to the fitting spot.
• On in breaking routes in man protection he does a terrific job of navigating site visitors and never getting picked by different gamers which permits him to remain in section.
• His crouch in off man protection is superb as he will get a great quantity of bend in his hips while maintaining his again flat.
• Witherspoon will get his fingers into the fitting spot on the catch level which does permit him to create a number of go breakups. He additionally tracks the ball very effectively within the air which permits him to remain in section with the receiver on deep photographs and doubtlessly make a play on the ball.
• Witherspoon appeared greater than snug when positioned in battle in zone protection.

Weaknesses

• In press protection, quite than staying gentle on his toes and being affected person, Witherspoon’s toes get very loud and uneven as he replaces them approach too usually.
• Early in press protection routes his higher and decrease physique tend to get out of sync.
• In off protection, particularly when lined up within the slot, Witherspoon tends to get flatfooted, virtually ready to select up his toes till the receiver dictates the route.
• In off man protection on fast hitting routes like whips, Witherspoon tends to overplay the route. He anticipates one thing over the center which creates a big quantity of separation the second the receiver snaps it the opposite approach.
• His kind tackling is extraordinarily inconsistent. He far too usually throws his shoulder into the ball service which permits them to make him miss or he bounces off of them.
• His angles are very poor within the working recreation as effectively. He crashes down approach too near the road of scrimmage usually willingly taking a blocker on quite than staying again and being affected person. There are cases the place he’s imagined to be the final line of protection, however he as an alternative is 5 yards away from the road, engaged with a blocker.

Ground/ceiling – Witherspoon’s mixture of fluid hips, implausible athleticism, hyper aggressive play model and ball abilities give him the ceiling of a high-end nook. Nevertheless, his inconsistent footwork, tendencies to overplay routes, struggles with leverage at instances and poor angles in run assist give him the ground of a role-playing starter.

Grade – 6.5 – Low finish starter, first day of second season

Grade rationalization – There’s a very vast hole between Witherspoon’s ceiling and flooring, and I believe it’s equally doubtless that he reaches both aspect of it. He has about all of the athletic traits which might be required for somebody to change into a high-end nook in addition to the right psychological toughness for the place as effectively. Nevertheless, there’s a lot that must be corrected in his recreation to ensure that him even to change into a strong starter early in his profession. I consider extra superior route runners are going to make the most of his over aggressive nature which goes to result in some tough video games. Nevertheless, in opposition to much less refined, extra athletic receivers Witherspoon goes to greater than maintain his personal in his rookie season and onwards. On account of that vast variance and there being a mix of gamers he’ll wrestle and thrive in opposition to I gave him a 6.5.

Schematic match – With the place Witherspoon is at the moment at in his growth, I believe he’s greatest fitted to a extra zone heavy scheme. It would permit him to make use of his athleticism, eyes, instincts and fast set off to make performs on the soccer. If he can refine his hips and footwork a bit extra, he has the talents to play in a person heavy scheme as effectively.

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