Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon Scouting Notes & Projection

NFL Draft analyst Jon Ledyard offers his scouting notes and projection for Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon

Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon

Witherspoon’s physical profile can’t compare to some of his draft-mates in this class. He’s not tiny, but 5-11, 181 pounds is below average for a cornerback these days. Witherspoon’s arm length doesn’t reach the 40th percentile mark either, checking in at just 31 1/4 inches. We haven’t gotten athletic testing results for Witherspoon yet, as he didn’t participate at the NFL Scouting Combine.

On the field, Witherspoon left far less doubt about his pro projection. He grabbed three interceptions and broke up 14 passes last year, proving to be a menace around the football. Witherspoon broke up nine the year before, while also adding eight tackles for loss. Almost all of his work came in man coverage, with PFF classifying 560 of his 705 coverage snaps as man coverage. The four-year product mostly lined up on the outside, but did see a handful of snaps in the slot. Witherspoon is 22 years old.

Games Watched: Michigan (2022), Michigan State (2022), Minnesota (2022), Nebraska (2022)

Projection: Off-man outside cornerback. Flexibility to play press man and slot corner.

Scouting Notes

It’s pretty rare that you can study a prospect from an All-22 camera shot, and come away with a terrific impression of his competitive nature. But that’s undoubtedly the case with Witherspoon. One of the draft’s elite trash talkers and top tier competitors, Witherspoon has the exact demeanor you want in a cornerback. He plays every snap with an edge, takes man coverage personally and will celebrate a teammate’s tackle on the opposite side of the field as vigorously as he celebrates his own interceptions.