Devon Witherspoon NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Illinois CB
HEIGHT: 5'11.5"
WEIGHT: 181
HAND: 8 7/8"
ARM: 31 1/4"
WINGSPAN: TBD
40-YARD DASH: TBD
3-CONE: TBD
SHUTTLE: TBD
VERTICAL: TBD
POSITIVES
— Twitchy athlete with good physical tools. Shows a good short-area burst along with good jumping ability.
— Good breaking ability. Sinks hips and gets out of breaks with limited false or extra steps.
— Very good patience in back-pedaling and press coverage. Stays square in man coverage, showing vision, anticipation and route recognition.
— Outstanding ball skills and timing when playing the ball. Does a good job of getting his head around to locate the ball. Also shows the patience and ability to play through the receiver with his back to the ball.
— Quick run reads and triggers quickly downhill. Beats blockers with quickness and shows to be a physical tackler. Has shown to deliver bone-crushing hits.
NEGATIVES
— Has good length but is slightly undersized with his weight.
— Struggles to keep his leverage from off coverage. Allows receivers to beat him inside, as well as showing hip tightness. Trouble swiveling hips to run or cover double moves.
—Slightly above-average speed. Often allows separation in routes and can be slow to recover if caught out of position.
— Too handsy at the top of routes and will need to adjust to NFL rules.
2022 STATISTICS
— 12 GM, 32 TOT, 2.5 TFL, 17 PBU, 3 INT
NOTES
— 32 Games Started
— 2022 Thorpe Award Finalist (First in history of University of Illinois)
— 2022 Consensus All-American First Team (First defensive back in history of University of Illinois)
— Senior Bowl Invite
OVERALL
Devon Witherspoon is an active cornerback who has shown to make plays all over the field. He is a fluid cover defender who is able to play from multiple schemes and alignments. A first-team All-American, Witherspoon plays his best game when in coverage. He can play the man from press or off coverage. He shows to have a controlled pedal, which allows him to quickly get his feet in the ground and react to what he sees.
A smart defender, Witherspoon shows great vision and route recognition. There aren't many times when he looks to be confused on the field. Devon performs best when he is able to sit in zone coverage and react to the quarterback, allowing him to use his anticipation to jump routes and be in position for huge hits. When covering receivers downfield, he has shown the ability to sink his hips getting in and out of breaks, but he lacks the top-end speed to run with the faster receivers in the league. Also, when playing the pass game, he has the ball skills necessary to get his head around and locate the ball, as well as having the confidence to play the ball with his back to it.
Witherspoon has demonstrated the physicality needed to support the run. He reacts quickly to run reads, quickly defeating blocks and meeting ball carriers in the backfield. He shows to be a solid tackler who will take advantage of big hits when they are presented. Witherspoon is a secure tackler who rarely has missed tackles. He is an interesting player who flashes a lot of positive skills. He will need to work on his hand placement while in coverage but shows to consistently be in good positioning. Witherspoon is a high-level development prospect who instantly adds depth to the room he is selected to. It will take a couple seasons for him to adjust before seeing if he is able to take the next step.
GRADE: 8.5 (Immediate Impact Prospect/Round 1)
OVERALL RANK: 8
POSITION RANK: CB1
PRO COMPARISON: Jaire Alexander
Written by B/R NFL Scout Cory Giddings
