Rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon wasn’t drafted for his pass-rush ability. But after the first five games of his inaugural campaign, the Seattle Seahawks standout cover man is near the top of the NFL with his pass rush grade. His effectiveness getting after the quarterback is so high now that heading into the Seahawks Week 8 matchup with the Cleveland Browns, he rates higher than superstar edge rushers like Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, and Aaron Donald, which is one of the reasons he has a real chance of winning the 2023 Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Devon Witherspoon’s Pass Rush Grade Is 5th-best in the NFL
Pressuring the quarterback is the most important thing a defense can do in the modern NFL. Teams with the highest pressure rate, pass rush win rate, and sacks routinely end up in the postseason these days. So, players — at any position — who can get after the QB are incredibly valuable.
The Seahawks drafted Witherspoon No. 5 overall because of his coverage ability, ball skills, and toughness against the run game. What Pete Carroll and company surely didn’t count on was his pass-rush ability. In four years and 41 games at Illinois, the CB recorded just 1.0 sacks.
Through five games, Witherspoon has already doubled his college sack total, putting up 2.0 already in the NFL to go along with his 3 QB hits.
Witherspoon isn’t rushing all that often, according to PFF. He has 12 pass rushes on the season, which accounts for just 5% of his snaps. When he does come off the corner, though, he has the fifth-best pass-rush grade in the league at 92.2.
While Defensive Player of the Year favorite Myles Garrett is No. 1 in this metric, other big-name pass-rushing stars come in just behind Witherspoon. Nick Bosa (91.7), Micah Parsons (91.6), and Aaron Donald (90.9) are all in the top 10, but not as high as the Seahawks rookie.
The big move that seemed to unlock Witherspoon’s previously untapped pass-rush potential is his move from boundary corner into the slot. When defensive back Coby Bryant went out with a toe injury, Carroll and defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt moved Witherspoon inside, and now he is among the favorites for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Witherspoon Has Second-Best Odds to Win Defensive Rookie of the Year
The incredible performances by Devon Witherspoon over Weeks 4, 6, and 7 have vaulted the No. 5 overall pick toward the top of the Defensive Rookie of the Year odds.
Heading into the Seahawks’ Week 8 matchup with the Browns, the CB has the second-best odds to take home the award for the best rookie on the defensive side of the ball from the Class of 2023.
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter is still a fairly big favorite to win DROY at -150, per Covers.com. The big defensive lineman, who dropped from the top of the 2023 NFL Draft to No. 9 due to his involvement in a fatal car crash while at Georgia, has 8 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 5 QB hits, 5 tackles for a loss, and 2 forced fumbles in six games.
Witherspoon is right behind Carter at +250 and is rapidly filling up his own stat sheet after missing the first game of the season with an injury. In one less game than Carter, the Seahawks CB has racked up 31 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3 QB hits, 2 tackles for a loss, 8 passes defended, and an interception returned for a touchdown.
Behind Carter and Witherspoon, the Defensive Rookie of the Year odds for the rest of the contenders are much larger. Behind this two-player race, there is the Houston Texans’ Will Anderson (+750), Detroit Lions’ Brian Branch (+9000), and Los Angeles Chargers’ Tuli Tuipulotu.
The player with the sixth-best odds of winning DPOY is actually another Seahawks youngster. One of Seattle’s second-round picks, DE Derick Hall, is +7500 to take home the hardware.
Comments
Devon Witherspoon’s Pass Rush Is Better Than Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa