2023 NFL Draft, NFL Draft Pick No. 17: Pittsburgh Steelers – Devon Witherspoon, Cornerback, Illinois
Mock Draft 1.0 – Joey Porter Jr, Cornerback, Penn State
Cameron Sutton left in free agency and Patrick Peterson is obviously only a short-term solution. Devon Witherspoon is the final of the consenus top trio of cornerbacks and he would be a good fit at the Pittsburgh Steelers.
A true impact corner, Witherspoon measured slightly undersized at the NFL Scouting Combine (5-foot-11, 181 pounds) but plays a lot bigger than his size indicates.
NFL Networks’ Daniel Jeremiah said he believes Devon Witherspoon is “better” than Denzel Ward was coming out of college.
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) March 21, 2023
Witherspoon measured in at 5’11”, 181 pounds at the Combine.
Ward measured in at 5’11”, 183 pounds when he was at the Combine.
Witherspoon allowed a passer… pic.twitter.com/aonTNHaaiD
A versatile corner able to play either man or zone, Witherspoon put himself into first-round contention with three interceptions and 14 pass breakups to showcase himself as a true impact corner for the Fighting Illini.
Witherspoon’s ability to run with receivers and play taller than his height is exciting for NFL teams. Potential shutdown corners are always at a premium and while he doesn’t have the prototypical size of Gonzalez and Porter, he’s shown himself to be every bit their equal in college.