Welcome to the inaugural edition of the 2023 NFL Draft Focus. In this series, we will look at the incoming prospects hoping their names will be heard on draft night. Be sure to check often as we will produce content until the event’s start.
BACKGROUND
Devon Witherspoon is a cornerback prospect out of Florida. He had a peculiar high school career as he only played for two years. He only started football as a junior and it turned out to be the right move. In his second year of playing football, he recorded 74 tackles, seven interceptions, and a couple of TDs. Rivals didn’t list him as any star prospect, but he took the chance and committed to play for the University of Illinois.
COLLEGE CAREER
Devon was able to play in all 13 games for Illinois as he racked up 33 total tackles. His second season was even better as he collected 33 total tackles and two interceptions in seven games. After a shortened season, he put up career highs in multiple stats in his junior season. He had 52 total tackles and a sack in 10 starts.
2022-2023 COLLEGE CAREER
In his final year, Devon was one of the best defensive backs in all of college football. In 738 snaps, he had 42 total tackles and three interceptions. The best stat in my opinion is that when being targeted, the QBR was just 24.6. He earned numerous All-American awards and was praised often for his unique route to his NFL dream.
STRENGTHS: Intelligence
He has good anticipation on passes and he can read receivers’ routes very well. He also has the ability to read the quarterbacks’ eyes and can make quick decisions when the ball is thrown. Man coverage is where he shines as he believes he can handle any wide receiver that lines up against him.
WEAKNESSES: Too Aggressive At Times
The problem with his intelligence is that he often targets the big plays. By being overaggressive, he sometimes gets penalized for it a bit too much and needs to catch up for the tackle. This will be a possible problem once he faces the bigger WRs in the NFL. He needs to improve also in press coverage.
PLAYER COMPARISON: Levi Wallace
TEAMS WHO COULD DRAFT HIM
A team will be lucky to have their hands on Devon Witherspoon. He is consistently ranked as a top-three cornerback in this draft. Some have him before the top 10 while others have him in the later first half of the draft. A sneaky team could be the Raiders at seven who need to shore up on defense.
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