Devon Witherspoon makes PFF’s top 101 players for 2023 NFL season

Spoon came in at No. 75 on their list.

Different analysts may disagree on his ceiling, but it is indisputable that the Seahawks have something special in cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Coming off his first year in the NFL, Spoon has established himself as one of the game’s best rising young stars at his position.

The latest accolade for Seattle’s standout corner is making a list of the top 101 players in the league from this past season by Pro Football Focus. Witherspoon came in at No. 75 on their list.

“Witherspoon’s calling card as a draft prospect was outstanding instincts and read-and-react skills that put him consistently ahead of the play in college. He showed those traits translated, displaying the same knack in his first season in Seattle. The rookie proved to be a true problem for opposing offenses.”

PFF will be releasing the top 20 players on their list tomorrow, but it seems unlikely Seattle will land anybody that high. That means Witherspoon will likely be on the only Seahawks player who made the cut.

While we feel Spoon’s ceiling is as high as any cornerback in the sport, he will need to improve his tackling in Year 2. If he can manage that, he should skyrocket up this list next year.

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Johnny Newton would love to team up with Devon Witherspoon again

One of the top DL prospects in the 2024 NFL draft, Newton spoke about what it would be like to play with Witherspoon again.

The Seattle Seahawks turned plenty of heads during the 2023 NFL draft when they selected Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon at No. 5 overall. Instead of addressing the biggest need at defensive line, Seattle opted to bolster their secondary. At the time, many questioned the logic.

Doubters quickly fell by the wayside once we all got to see Witherspoon in action. Arguably the best defensive player on the Seahawks last year, Witherspoon made a name for himself as a rising defensive star in the league. One player who would certainly like to take the field with Witherspoon is his former Fighting Illini teammate, Johnny Newton.

Considered one of the top defensive line prospects in the 2024 NFL draft, Newton spoke about what it would be like to play with Witherspoon again.

As I mentioned previously, defensive line was a major liability for Seattle going into last year and it proved to remain as such throughout the season. The Seahawks need to build considerably better depth up front. Perhaps adding Newton into the mix could help slow down opposing rush offenses… as well as giving a morale boost to their young star in the secondary.

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Here is the team’s full up to date roster as we approach the new league year and free agency beginning in two weeks.

The Seahawks are entering a new month. March may see a ton of roster turnover in Seattle, depending on exactly just how much general manager John Schneider wants to tweak his team heading into their first year under new head coach Mike Macdonald.

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Devon Witherspoon reponds to finishing fourth in DROY voting

After the news broke, Seattle’s angry little goblin in the slot shared a perfect response on Twitter.

NFL players don’t vote on these AP awards, but they are about to find out what happens when a competitor like Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon gets underestimated.

Last night was the league’s annual Honors showcase, where awards were handed out to a variety of players. One race to watch for the Seahawks was Defensive Rookie of the Year, where Witherspoon was one of five finalists. We had presumed that Jalen Carter would win, but in the end it was Will Anderson who took the hardware home. Here’s how the voting broke down.

You may have noticed something strange in there. Not only did Spoon not win, he didn’t even finish among the top three – receiving less than half the total votes Carter got and nearly one-third of Anderson’s.

That means clearly some folks have not gotten the message yet.

After the news broke, Seattle’s angry little goblin in the slot shared a perfect response on Twitter.

The greatest athlete of all time thrived on slights like these, either real or imagined. Seeing Spoon respond this way makes us believe he has a similar drive and it’s exactly the kind of thing you want to see as a Seahawks fan.

This new motivation, combined with a natural second-year development and the added influence of defensive mastermind head coach Mike Macdonald may be enough to catapault Spoon into the Defensive Player of the Year race as soon as the 2024 season.

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He may not win DROY, but we’ll take his ceiling over literally every other non-quarterback in his draft class.

The Seahawks have one of the brightest young defensive stars in the NFL in rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who’s currently one of five finalists for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award and just played in the Pro Bowl. The most exciting thing about Witherspoon is that he’s barely even begun to reach his full potential. He may not win DROY, but we’ll take his ceiling over literally every other non-quarterback in his draft class.

Looking ahead, Spoon should be in the running for an All-Pro nomination, perhaps as soon as next year. However, he’s focused on staying healthy, playing a full season and making the playoffs. Here’s what Witherspoon shared when he was asked about his goals in 2024, per Sports Illustrated:

“Just to build on Year 1… I know I missed some games so I just want to stay healthy so I can play the whole season and hopefully get to the postseason for sure. But my goal in Year 2 is just to double up what I did this year, let them know that it wasn’t a one-time thing.”

Witherspoon also told SI that he’s pretty excited to see what new head coach Mike Macdonald can do.

Further unlocking Witherspoon’s potential will be one of the key elements to finding Year 1 success for Macdonald. Something he’ll need to improve on is his tackling – he missed 12 attempts in 2023 or 13.2%. He should also become more refined in coverage with time – he allowed five touchdowns as the nearest defender this year.

Macdonald will also want to build on the things Spoon is already great at – namely rush the quarterback as well as any DB since Jamal Adams in 2020 and help defend the run, where he was a bright spot in an otherwise dismal secondary.

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The Seattle Seahawks initially had three players selected to the Pro Bowl this year: linebacker Bobby Wagner, safety Julian Love and cornerback Devon Witherspoon. Eventually, three of their teammates joined them on the NFC squad as injury replacements, inlcuding quarterback Geno Smith, wide receiver DK Metcalf and special teamer Nick Bellore.

Here are some photos of Seahawks competing throughout the weekend in Orlndo.

Devon Witherspoon Highlights: Watch top plays of the 2023 season

Watch: Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon’s top plays of the 2023 season

The Seattle Seahawks made plenty of folks scratch their heads when they decided to select cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. The need at defensive line seemed obvious, especially with Jalen Carter available.

But Witherspoon wasted little time winning any skeptics over, as he proved to be arguably one of the best defenders Seattle’s defense had. It is no surprise the Illinois alum is among the favorites to win the highly coveted Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Especially since he can now add “Pro Bowler” to his ever growing resume.

Mind you, a first ballot Pro Bowler, not as an alternate or injury replacement. As a rookie!

Now is a good a time as any to look back on the top plays from Witherspoon’s rookie campaign.

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You can make a case for the Chargers, but the Seahawks are the hottest destination among the teams that had an NFL head coach opening in this hiring cycle. While they dont have a young top-five QB like Justin Herbert they do have a high-value veteran in Geno Smith and a roster that is loaded with young playmakers on both sides of the ball.

The team’s 2023 rookie class is more proof of that, as Seattle landed a superstar at cornerback, a potential Pro Bowler at wide receiver and a couple other strong depth pieces, as well. Here’s how we graded out eight Seahawks rookies who saw significant playing time this season.

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Devon Witherspoon 1 of 5 finalists for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year

Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon is one of five finalists for the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon is one of five finalists for the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Spoon will be in the running along with Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr., Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner.

Witherspoon’s claim to win the award is as strong as any. However, as has been the case since the season started Carter remains the odds-on favorite to win DROY. Spoon’s case isn’t helped by missing three games with a hip pointer injury, nor his atrocious tackling against the Steelers in Week 17. Our best guess is that Carter will win out.

That said, there may be no young defender in the NFL with a higher ceiling. Rookie of the Year or no, Witherspoon has all the ability in the world to make multiple All-Pro teams.

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The brightest treasure in the chest is rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon

Whoever takes over as the next Seattle Seahawks head coach, they’ll be inheriting an exceptionally-talented secondary. Seattle will likely have to make some cuts at safety, but the young core of the back end of their defense is as promising as it gets in the NFL.

The brightest treasure in the chest is rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who’s been earning accolades all year – even now that Seattle’s season is over. Witherspoon has already been named PFF’s Defensive Rookie of the Year. Now he’s also being included in PFWA’s All-Rookie Team for the 2023 season.

Witherspoon was the No. 5 overall pick in last year’s draft for a reason, and quickly put any doubts about his abilities to rest. DB play is up and down by nature, but there were times this year when Spoon looked like the best cornerback in the sport – making a significant impact in coverage, against the run and rushing the quarterback. Witherspoon looks to be a foundational piece to build around defensively and it doesn’t take much imagination to see All-Pros in his future.

Also making the cut for the Seahawks was rookie safety Jerrick Reed II, who made it on special teams. Reed had his season cut short by injury, but he shined in his 10 games on the field, making 11 special teams tackles.

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