The 2023 NFL Draft takes place April 27-29 this year, emanating LIVE from Kansas City, Missouri. As it stands, the Tennessee Titans have one first round draft pick. New general manager Ran Carthon and head coach Mike Vrabel currently hold the 11th overall selection. Over the next couple of months, I’ll be taking a look at some of the prospects who are either rumored to be tied to, have met with, who make sense for the Titans, or who are for some reason being mocked to the Titans even though they don’t really have a need at the position. Whatever – there are no rules here. Today, we’re lookin’ at Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon.
I absolutely love the moves the Titans have made in free agency so far. They’ve plugged some major holes, but they’ve done so on smart value contracts and still managed to get guys with high upside. It’s been brilliant. That alleviates pressure to go in any certain way with the #11 overall pick, and given how the stars are aligning with the quarterbacks, it could mean they could just go ‘best player available’ if they stick and pick. Given where the Titans are at cornerback, I wouldn’t at all be surprised to see them go with a guy like Witherspoon, who has to absolutely rile up Vrabel when he’s watching the tape. Roger McCreary hit a hard rookie wall, but there’s still a good corner in there. Caleb Farley is a reclamation project at this point. And, I have some real concerns about the long-term future of Kristian Fulton here in Nashville given that the other guy Vrabel mentioned in his presser about soft tissue injuries is now a Miami Dolphin. So, when you think about it in that context, cornerback makes a whole hell of a lot of sense at #11, especially if Witherspoon is still there.
Witherspoon finished 2022 with 41 tackles, 2.5 of those for a loss, three interceptions, and 14 passes deflected. If you look at his stats alone, you probably wouldn’t think much of his production. But, he definitely fits in that mold of cornerbacks who opposing offenses just seem to try and avoid altogether. At least, that’s the sense I got from watching games against Northwestern and Purdue. Even mighty Michigan seemed hesitant to really test him. Witherspoon was voted a consensus All-American and First-Team Big Ten in 2022. When it comes to what Witherspoon does well, I think the conversation begins and ends with his physicality:
Who did it better? Goldberg or Devon Witherspoon? pic.twitter.com/5hLX9yOyYE
— Stoney Keeley (@StoneyKeeley) March 19, 2023
He is a hard hitter that definitely doesn’t shy away from contact, and it can be incredible to watch. I mean, look at that clip again. That poor guy’s feet were above his head. Like…he ends up kicking Witherspoon in the helmet he was turned up so violently. Talk about closing on a play. But, while that might be what people know him for, there’s a lot more to his game that should translate to the NFL level. For one, he’s scheme versatile – he can play zone. He can play man. Doesn’t matter.
For another, he plays with a deep level of intelligence and a mastery of angles, leverage, and positioning. He’s the type of player that understands where he needs to be to make the play and he gets there reliably. He has a sort of functional acceleration – he’s not consistently the “turn the hips and run with his guy” type of burner at corner, but when the play begins to develop, he has the burst to get to the ball. That’s how I’d explain “functional acceleration.” The athleticism and the savvy combine to make Witherspoon look like a flat out natural. He is a fluid mover, who is instinctive and seems to have an innate feel for the position.
Witherspoon is truly a shutdown corner. Offenses legitimately fear this guy. I watched the Northwestern and Purdue games and genuinely felt like they were actively trying to avoid him. He was that type of player at Illinois, and judging by how reliable he’s demonstrated on tape that he is from the neck up, I think he will translate pretty well to the next level. He deserves to be considered among the highest-floor prospects in this draft.
I feel like Northwestern called this game like "we're not even going to look at whichever side of the field Devon Witherspoon is on." But, they flew too close to the sun on this play and he made 'em pay. pic.twitter.com/KZc920YLkK
— Stoney Keeley (@StoneyKeeley) March 19, 2023
Now, my gushing over the guy doesn’t mean he is without weakness. There are a couple of things I noticed from watching his tape. Sometimes, that aggression caught ahold of him a little too far down the field and he rattled receivers when he shouldn’t have. That’s going to lead to penalties in the NFL if he doesn’t correct it. The one thing that scares me to death is the over-pursuing, though. I noticed a few times when that decisiveness and aggression that he plays with got the best of him because he whiffed on a tackle coming in too hot. It didn’t happen all that often, but that’s a spot where you might want to rein in the eagerness to make the big hit a bit. It’s stuff that a seasoned coaching staff in the NFL will have no issue working with, though.
I look at what Witherspoon brings to the table and think it’s a perfect fit for the culture that the Titans have built under Vrabel. Hell, what have we heard Vrabel talk about all offseason? Fast. Physical. Versatile. That’s Witherspoon to a T. If any corner looks like a Titans corner in this draft, it’s him.
Further Reading: Daniel Jeremiah: Devon Witherspoon ‘one of the best players’ in the NFL Draft
2023 TITANS FIRST ROUND OPTIONS
- Paris Johnson Jr.
- Broderick Jones
- John Michael Schmitz
- Peter Skoronski
- CJ Stroud
- Bryce Young
- Wide receivers
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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