CB Devon Witherspoon Scouting Report: This Year’s Best Day One-Corner

Devon Witherspoon is a guy who’s shot up draft boards as of late, and for a good reason. Coming out of high school, he was a zero-star recruit and did not break out until his junior season. This past season, he was a shutdown corner, or at least as close as you can get to that term. He may not seem like the ideal athlete at only 180 lbs without elite speed, but he excelled in aspects most college corners struggle in. Transitioning to the NFL will be a challenge as Illinois didn’t face legit competition. However, he seems truly ready to play in the NFL, as his film was overwhelmingly impressive.

Two all-22 games and three other regular games were evaluated, and clips from his film are broken down here. All relevant traits were graded based on his film. His scouting report also factored in stats and analytics, such as PFF grades. Use promo code TREYSCHNEIDER on Underdog Fantasy to match your deposit up to $100. Please leave your feedback on Twitter, @FBIntellect.

Coverage Stats

2022:

2021:

Clip Analysis

In the clip above, Devon Witherspoon is in press-man and opens his hips as he runs stride for stride with the receiver. He then made a fantastic play on the ball, which took perfect timing.

Here, he is in off-man in the slot. He trails the receiver perfectly and then out-positions the receiver to get the pick.

In this one, he shows his toughness and big-hit ability. A 180 lb Corner shouldn’t be able to hit like that.

Grades

Traits/ Skills (see bottom of the page for scale)

Each trait/attribute is graded 1-7.

Player Notes

Devon Witherspoon Bio

• Devon Witherspoon is a long and heady corner with well-rounded traits. He dominated against low-level competition and looked quite impressive as a press corner. He currently ranks 11th on the FBI 2023 Big Board.

Pros

• Only allowed one catch in press coverage throughout his whole Junior year.
• Confident and aggressive mindset – never gave up a TD his Junior year.
• Has elite click-and-close ability paired with ultra-quick reactionary skills.
• Has impeccable timing when throttling down on the breaks of routes.
• Has excellent technique in press-man and off-man coverage.
• Excels covering drag routes in man coverage.
• Aggressive in phase; likes to try and time the pass-breakup perfectly.
• Is a very instinctive player in zone coverage and has great awareness.
• He is an intelligent player who communicates well and makes his teammates better.
• Has an ideal arm length paired with great physicality.
• Plays with a chip on his shoulder.
• Plays the run aggressively and hits like a strong safety.

Cons

• Doesn’t have the greatest long speed – he struggled to keep up with faster receivers.
• He likes almost to guess routes and jump them aggressively, which can lead to some ugly plays in the pros.
• Doesn’t have the frame to be an elite press corner and will get pushed around by bigger receivers.
• Played against a lower level of competition and didn’t run many complex coverages.

Combine

40 yd:

10 yd:

Shuttle:

3 cone:

Broad:

Vertical:

Bench:

Arm Length: 31 1/4

Hand Size: 8 7/8

Grading Scale

Pot=Potential: players’ highest upside

Imp=Impact: player’s immediate impact