Witherspoon is the first first-round cornerback Pete Carroll ever scored in his Seahawks career.
The Seattle Seahawks finally drafted a cornerback early for the first time under Pete Carroll and John Schneider. Devon Witherspoon of Illinois is selected with the No. 5 pick in 2023 NFL Draftmaking him Seattle’s second highest draft corner of all time behind Shawn Springs (No. 3, 1997).
If there’s one play that stands out in Witherspoon’s feature reel, it’s this:
Witherspoon is known for being an aggressive, downhill physical player without being a penalty machine. In the media post-draft press conference, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll acknowledged that Seattle usually doesn’t take high corners in the draft, but he is an exception.
Carroll also compared Witherspoon to one of the greatest defensive running backs in college and NFL history: USC and Pittsburgh Steelers legend Troy Polamalu.
It is now clear that Polamalu is a safety and they are different physically, but it is clear that the mentality and style of play is what Carroll was going for when making such a lofty comparison.
Witherspoon’s media session included this quote that I’m sure is music to Carroll’s ears and, if translated well on the field, will be moving poetry for Seahawks fans and coaches alike.
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