San Francisco 49ers: Player stock watch after first week of 2018 training camp
By Peter Panacy
Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon
Second-year cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon has a lot of pressure on him this season. After a rough start to his NFL career — one in which he was victimized often in training camp back in 2017 — Witherspoon is slated to be one of the 49ers’ starting corners in 2018 alongside the veteran, Richard Sherman.
So far, Witherspoon hasn’t looked particularly good, especially in one-on-one drills. The few clips below illustrate this:
#49ersCamp 1-on-1s: Kendrick Bourne puts on the brakes against Ahkello Witherspoon. #49ers pic.twitter.com/nGQQXXnDT9
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) July 30, 2018
#49ersCamp 1-on-1s: Victor Bolden Jr. puts a double move on Ahkello Witherspoon. #49ers pic.twitter.com/upDbXkyjWa
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) July 28, 2018
All of the above drills are during one-on-one sessions, where defensive backs are always at a disadvantage. They don’t have safety help over the top, there’s no pass rush and the receiver has plenty of room with which to work.
That said, Witherspoon bit on a number of moves and guessed wrong. Those are the kinds of mistakes he can’t afford to make during in-game situations.
While Witherspoon remains a very promising commodity in the 49ers secondary, it’s best he learns from what has transpired this opening week and applies it to the rest of practice.