Athletic Profile
Height: 5114
Weight: 181
Arm Length: 31 1/4”
40 Time: 4.45
10 Yard Split: N/A
Vertical: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
Shuttle: N/A
Relative Athletic Score: N/A
* Indicates Recorded At Pro Day
Statistics
2022: 32 TKL (11.4 MIS%) - 62 TGT - 9.4 Y/REC - 0 TD - 3 INT - 14 PBU - 25.3 NFL - 6 PEN
2021: 46 TKL (12.5 MIS%) - 58 TGT - 12.4 Y/REC - 1 TD - 0 INT - 6 PBU - 869. NFL - 5 PEN
Snap Count:
DL: 69
BOX: 56
FS: 12
SLOT: 229
CB: 1,968
Pros
Man Coverage
Ball Skills
Run Defense
Short Area Burst
Instincts
Cons
Thin Frame
Over Aggression
Late Breakout
Summary
Devon Witherspoon was a lightly recruited defensive back out of the state of Florida in 2019. A multi-sport star he went on to be a four year contributor and three year starter for the Fighting Illini. Witherspoon made his name early on at Illinois as a special teams ace before morphing into one of the best defensive backs in the country.
Witherspoon is a sticky man coverage corner who loves to get physical at the line of scrimmage. He has patient, quick feet that allow him to stay in the hip pocket of receivers from press and off alignments. He uses quick and accurate punches to disarm receivers off the line and shows the fluidity and long speed to turn and run. He has the football IQ and short area burst to drive on receivers quickly in space. Witherspoon shows excellent instincts attacking the ball in the air. He had tremendous ball production in 2022, displaying excellent ball skills. Witherspoon has the ability to play both inside and outside and is scheme versatile although man coverage is his preferred method of coverage. Witherspoon brings a physical hard nosed element to a defense. Despite his below average size he is an excellent run defender. He has no fear of contact and brings power behind his pads when he tackles. His pursuit angles and motor pop off the screen when chasing ball carriers.
The biggest question with Witherspoon is his lack of size. The history of 180 pound CBs taken high in the NFL Draft is a short one. For a player with a physical play style like Witherspoon his smaller frame is a concern. He tends to struggle with big physical receivers that can use their size to move him around. Questions about his length may result in some teams viewing him as more of a slot player and hurt his overall draft upside. Witherspoon also does have a tendency to be over aggressive. A player with his ball production and instincts tends to take risks and it can result in him being slightly out of position.
Witherspoon is in the conversation for the top CB in the 2023 class. His nasty demeanor and sticky man coverage ability put him in a rare air in terms of CB prospects. However, questions about his size knock him down a few spots as he will not meet certain teams thresholds. Witherspoon projects as a legit CB1 at the next level who thrives best in a man heavy scheme. His coverage ability and ball skills indicate that he should be an immediate impact player at the next level.
Grade: 6.82 - Mid to Late First Round (Immediate Starter)
Games Watched: Iowa (2022), Michigan State (2022), Minnesota (2022), Virginia (2022), Wisconsin (2022)