49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon
By Peter Panacy
Why Ahkello Witherspoon Improves in 2018
Ahkello Witherspoon’s on-field efforts last season were impressive enough.
Per Pro Football Focus, Witherspoon posted an 81.1 overall grade on the year, which was third best amid the Niners secondary and No. 42 among 121 qualifying cornerbacks.
Diving deeper, Witherspoon managed to improve on one of the areas that was a weakness in college: his defense against the run. Also per PFF, Witherspoon’s 2017 run-stop percentage came in at 1.5 percent, which ranked 32nd out of 65 players evaluated — a nice middle-of-the-pack number.
Plays, like the one below versus the Arizona Cardinals (h/t Oscar Aparicio of Better Rivals), illustrate the improvement:
Ahkello Witherspoon has come a long way from the Colorado slide tackle. Reuben Foster plugs up the hole and Witherspoon (no. 23) tackles right through Peterson’s thigh. #49ers pic.twitter.com/NH14wAjNSC
— Oscar Aparicio (@BetterRivals) November 9, 2017
There’s another reason why Witherspoon improves this season, outside the normal second-year-maturation chatter.
Witherspoon’s confidence surely has grown since last year, and participating with Richard Sherman’s elite-level cornerback workout group — including Sherman, Aqib Talib, Xavier Rhodes and Darius Slay — certainly helped.
“I was watching these guys on TV in college, on Monday Night Football, in the playoffs, and to be around them is just a blessing,” Witherspoon said, via The MMQB’s Robert Klemko. “It’s surreal. I think this is the group I belong in, and turning on the tape confirms that.”
If the newfound confidence and skill set continue to grow together, Witherspoon might just be the Niners’ next great cornerback.