Devon Witherspoon 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the Illinois CB
Devon Witherspoon: 6’0”, 180 pounds.
Not having started playing football until junior year of high school and despite having 11 interceptions in his final year there, Devon Witherspoon started junior college as a zero-star recruit.
After some trouble with his grades in high school, he got his SAT scores in order to make himself eligible to join Illinois. He was a special teams ace early on before earning his way into the starting defensive lineup.
He already had some very impressive tape in 2021 (nine PBUs and eight TFLs), but last year he picked off three passes and broke up another 14, en route to being named first-team All-Big and All-American.
Devon Witherspoon scout report: Strengths
+ Devon Witherspoon clearly has a chip on his shoulder and brings an attitude to the table.
+ Plays with a ton of pride and confidence, taking on different assignments and moving around the field.
+ The explosiveness from his track background and the high jump show up all over his game.
+ Drives forward out of his backpedal with great conviction and is ready to make a play on the ball or deliver a big hit, unlike very few corners I’ve ever watched.
+ On spot/hitch routes with deep responsibility, if he’s allowed to attack upfield, you see him arrive basically simultaneously with the ball a lot of times.
+ While he likes to aggressively break on routes, you don’t typically see him for fall double-moves (where the receiver just tries to give a little head-fake or stutters his feet on fades).
+ Even on deep curls and comebacks (where you’re trying to make Witherspoon completely open up his hips), quarterbacks aren’t really comfortable with throwing his way because he may cover that distance while the ball travels through the air.
+ When isolated on the perimeter, once receivers have committed to their release, Witherspoon lands some effective stabs to widen their path and reduce space to work with (whilst having his eyes locked on the hips of his man).
+ If they go across his face on inside breakers, he does not concede the middle of the field and forces them to play through his punch, sometimes completely throwing them off balance.
+ Not somebody who you’re going to pick on by hitting receivers off full-sprint motion across the field, because he’ll trail his guy with the speed to shut those plays down for minimal yardage.
+ Understands where his leverage is, where to expect breaks and when to turn vertically in match-zone coverage.
+ Plus, he funnels receivers towards his safeties when there’s a secondary threat working towards his area.
+ Lined up in the slot for 107 snaps last season and showed the ability to turn with slot fades, as well as mirror stems towards the middle, while being alert for breaks out to the sideline.
+ As he sees the receiver turn his head down the sideline and adjust his speed or tries to create a little bit of extra separation, Witherspoon looks back for the ball and tries to actively play it in the air.
+ Yet he can also put a hand right in-between the receiver’s paws to knock it up for grabs, timing up when he swipe-throughs very well.
+ Had a great pick against Wyoming matched up with a slot fade, turning his head and picking it off at the sideline.
+ Allowed only 22 receptions for 200 yards and no touchdowns on 425 coverage snaps and 63 targets (one reception in press-man), while forcing 18 incompletions and picking off three passes, leading to a 92.5 PFF coverage grade.
+ Witherspoon doesn’t stay blocked in place, but regularly bench-presses receivers inside and gets involved on tackles, at times up the C-gap.
+ If he’s the unblocked force defender, he will shoot into the backfield and chop down bigger ball-carriers, which resulted in a crazy eight TFLs in 2021.
+ You actively see him work around blockers, regularly eluding them altogether, trying to get to the ball, when he could easily just stay out on the perimeter and hold his ground.
+ Absolutely destroyed Indiana’s running back on a little swing screen in 2022, immediately shooting downhill once he saw that guy go in motion and he knew what was coming based on studying tape.
+ Was used as a blitzer off the corner a few times, where he times up the snap well and plays with ferocious pursuit.
Devon Witherspoon scout report: Weaknesses
– Has a tendency to play a little bit tall in his pedal and isn’t as comfortable in true off-man.
– Because he has more of that lanky build, guys are able to create some separation on deep comebacks and stuff like that, since it takes him a little bit of time to pivot and redirect.
– Does get pretty handsy when receivers are able to attack the edges of his frame and needs to fully turn his back to the quarterback. Some of the ways he “catches” receivers down the field when playing off will draw flags at the next level for illegal contact (six penalties in ’22).
– NFL athletes may lead him to more missed tackles with how regularly he doesn’t break down from sprinting pursuit. He has moments of just going head-first and not using his arms as a tackler, which also may be a long-term health concern.
Devon Witherspoon scout report: Grade
If teams are looking for a corner that plays with an extreme level of confidence and has “that dog in him”, Devon Witherspoon is their guy.
He can either stick to receivers off the line in press-man or read patterns in zone and disrupt the catch point consistently. My only legit concern with him is how easily he’ll be able to adjust his playing style to avoid penalties at the next level. I don’t know if an off-man heavy system is the greatest fit for him, because of the way he initiated contact past the five-yard mark.
Yet, the way he can match great athletes as a true boundary corner and how aggressively he supports against the run is a defensive coordinator’s dream. Devon Witherspoon is one of the rare guys at the position, who I believe has the mentality to be a number one right away.
Grade: Top-10 overall.
You might like other 2023 NFL Draft scouting reports: D.J. Turner (CB), Illinois; Julius Brents (CB), Kansas State; Emmanuel Forbes (CB), Mississippi State CB; Tyrique Stevenson (CB), Miami; Kelee Ringo (CB), Georgia; Kyu Blu Kelly (CB), Stanford; Joey Porter Jr. (CB), Penn State; Cam Smith, (CB) South Carolina.
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