Illinois Corner Devon Witherspoon Isn’t A First-Round Talent

According to CBS Sports, Devon Witherspoon is the No. 10 overall pick in the first-round in their latest released mock.

Witherspoon being rated that highly peaked my curiosity, so I turned on the game film.

It was one of the more challenging evaluations I have ever done. I found myself vacillating between a first and fourth-round grade.

There was that much inconsistency in his game.

I loved how physical and aggressive he was, but the bottom line is he consistently gave up too many catches to be considered as a first-round pick.

Elite corners

The name of the game on defense in the NFL is disrupting the pocket and having shut-down corners.

When I think of a top-10 corner, Witherspoon does not fit the description.

Sauce Gardner was taken No. 4 overall in the first-round in 2022, and Witherspoon is nowhere near that good.

He has some similarities with his long arms, physicality and ball instincts, but he lacks the same elite level athleticism, short area-burst, and consistent technique.

Witherspoon also lacks recovery speed to recover deep if the ball was out in front of the receiver when he fell into a trail position.

If a team is taking a corner in the top-10, he has to have it all, and clearly some things are missing from Witherspoon’s game.

Pass interference

Witherspoon was called for pass interference three times in this three-game study.

Some may chalk it up to his “aggressiveness,” but from my vantage point it was bad technique.

Watching Witherspoon is like watching a safety in the body of a corner. He lacks some of the natural feel of a cover corner.

You have to watch the game film closely on this one

As I said, I liked a lot about Witherspoon and I think he will make a great nickel in the NFL.

He would be a decent No. 2 corner.

However, he absolutely is not a No. 1 corner at the next level.

It’s the little details that lose me on Witherspoon.

Whether it’s giving up the inside on a strong jam in press coverage, it taking an extra moment for him to gather himself after a catch, the inconsistencies on the short slants or the missed tackles coming downhill on running back screens, it was all an issue.

🚩He got picked on a lot in these three games, which tells me something🚩

Super physical against the run

One of the things I liked most about Witherspoon is how aggressive he was in run support.

So many corners want little to nothing to do with the run, but Witherspoon loves to get involved.

He will come up and thump ball carriers.

#31 Devon Witherspoon 6-foot-1, 180 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Grade: Fourth-Round – Early Fall 2022 Report

First Round Mock Big Board: TBD

Projected by 3.5% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of October 25, 2022 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2021 game film reviewed: Nebraska, UTSA and Virginia (click to watch games viewed to form this evaluation)

Level of competition: Moderate

2021 stats: 52 tackles (42 solo, 10 assists), 9 passes defended, 0 INT., 1 sack

Note: Older brother Akhello Witherspoon was a third-round corner out of Colorado for the 49ers and is now playing for his third team (Steelers) since 2017.

Note: PFF credits Witherspoon giving up 14 catches on 19 targets against UTSA and Virginia. During the final 9 games of 2021, PFF stated he gave up 17 catches on 32 targets.

NFL comparable: Brian Poole (undrafted nickel who played on 5 NFL teams)

2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report:

Aggressive corner with good raw straight-line speed combined with ball instincts, but has inconsistent technique and lacks short-area burst. The one word that comes to mind to define him is inconsistent. Competitive corner who can come up in press coverage and jam, but tends to give up route leverage. Best when he maintains inside route leverage and uses the sidelines as help on vertical routes. Lacks ability to recover if he falls behind unless the ball hangs up there too long. Beat deep and on comeback routes. Inconsistent on slants. Decent, but not great athletic ability. Has value blitzing off the edge. Physical against the run, but inconsistent as a tackler. Decent prospect in the right round.

What to watch for during the 2022 college football season:

1. Giving up route leverage consistently?
2. Catches/targets ratio?
3. Does he show short-area burst?
4. Consistent tackling?

Witherspoon was chasing too much, and in control of too little.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He currently writes for Sports Illustrated New York Jets and he is the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. He can be followed on Twitter @firstroundmock.