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When the Seattle Seahawks made the surprise move to select Devon Witherspoon with their No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, it was largely expected for the team to use him as a shutdown outside cornerback, the position he excelled in during his tenure at Illinois.
However, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll appears to have a different plan for the former consensus All-American. During training camp, Witherspoon has been taking the bulk of his first-team reps in the nickel slot, an unexpected development met with strongly different reactions.
Several fans expressed on X, formerly known as Twitter, how they can’t believe the Seahawks are using Witherspoon, their top draft pick who recently signed to a four-year, $31.86 million contract following a short holdout from camp, as a mere nickel cornerback. Numerous NFL analysts, however, pointed out that the nickel position has become exponentially more valuable as teams utilize more pass-heavy offenses.
Playing nickel also seems to better fit Witherspoon’s strengths and size. The 6-foot, 185 pound defensive back “is light by NFL standards, particularly for tacklers in the middle of a defense,” The News Tribune’s Gregg Bell wrote, but he’s excelling in the slot and proving to be an unusually strong tackle machine. Witherspoon “shined Thursday in his new role no one saw coming.”
SI‘s Corbin K. Smith commended Witherspoon’s versatility. “He has spent the majority of his time with the first-team defense playing inside, showing off his diverse skill set as a run defender, blitzer, and cover corner.”
Playing nickel, which consists of taking on multiple assignments at any given moment, is one of the reasons it’s rare for a rookie to take over the job. But it’s been an “easy” transition for Witherspoon, Carroll told reporters on August 3.
“He’s a natural football player and I say that because he’s really instinctive,” Carroll said. “He does things kind of naturally right before we’ve even had a chance to get through all of the assignments and stuff like that. He has a real feel for things. So, he’s made really quick progress right there… He’s done a nice job. He’s aggressive, he’s a playmaker, he’s looking for plays to make and it’s a good spot for him in that regard.”
Devon Witherspoon Is Still in the Mix to Play Outside Cornerback
While the 22-year-old is taking most of his reps inside, it may only be temporary. Carroll said one of the reasons behind the switch is because Coby Bryant, the team’s primary nickel last season, isn’t 100% just yet after suffering a toe sprain. “So it was a good chance for ‘Spoon to get his reps.”
Witherspoon is also still in the mix to be the starting outside corner. “He’s right in the battle,” Carroll said. “We’re just logging reps right now. Tre Brown and Mike (Jackson) have done really well. Tre’s had a terrific first week. There’s no rush (to decide right now).” The pending return of Tariq Woolen makes the position battle that much tougher.
The Athletic‘s Mike Dugar wrote, “Seattle played nickel on early downs 59.4% of the time last season, which ranked 23rd in the league and was the team’s highest rate since adopting bear fronts as the new base defense in 2020. If Witherspoon wins the nickel job, he’ll be on the field often, but not as much as if he was the starting left corner, which is an every-down job.”
Witherspoon’s role for the 2023 NFL season is still a work in progress. “It’s just what’s the best mix and combination for us,” Carroll concluded.
Devon Witherspoon Has No Complaints Playing Nickel
The 2022 Tatum–Woodson Defensive Back of the Year award winner is unbothered by the position change. He’s happy as long he gets to make explosive hits.
“It’s part of my game that people should realize that I bring to the table,” Witherspoon told reporters with a smile. “I’m kind of undersized but I just don’t want people to underestimate me thinking ‘Oh he’s not that big so he won’t hit you.’ That’s a lie. I just try to be as physical as I can be and want to bring a lot of juice.”
Despite having limited college experience inside, “It was an easy transition once I got it down pat,” he said. “Just keep getting a lot of reps at nickel, and then just kind of slow it down, bring it to your speed of the game. It’s a real easy transition, especially in our defense.”
Witherspoon is willing to do whatever it takes for him to make an impact on defense. “I don’t really have a preference. Whatever coach needs me to do I’ll go do it… Nickel is a lot of fun. We just go out there and compete in the back end. We’re kind of all interchangeable. No one has one specific spot. We kind of all know the back end.”
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