RENTON, Wash. - Entering only his second NFL season, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald doesn't want Devon Witherspoon's previous success as a rookie or his
Putting up a historic stat line as a rookie, Witherspoon lived up to the billing as a top-five draft pick and then some. Even missing three games due to injury, he became only the seventh player since 1999 to amass three sacks, eight tackles for loss, and 15 pass breakups in a single season and the first rookie to achieve the feat, finishing fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and receiving a spot on the Pro Bowl roster.
At one point, slot cornerback was a niche position in the NFL. But as the passing game has become king in the league over the past decade or so, opposing defensives have been forced to counter with increased nickel and dime usage deploying five or six defensive backs on the field at one time, making the slot role far more important for slowing down high-octane offenses.
In just his third NFL game, with the Giants only five yards away from putting six points on the board, the rookie orchestrated a potential 14-point swing by jumping a pivot route from his curl/hook responsibility in Cover 3. After baiting quarterback Daniel Jones into the throw, he returned his first career interception 97 yards for a back-breaking touchdown to help seal a 24-3 road win on Monday Night Football.
But what makes Witherspoon a transcending talent from the slot isn't merely his fantastic coverage skills, but his unrivaled ability to create constant disruption as a physical, hard-hitting run defender and an elite blitzer. Might be my favorite play by Devon Witherspoon all season, including his pick six. Absolutely throttled Brightwell after brushing off attempted crack block by slot receiver.When facing explosive dual-threat quarterbacks such as Cardinals signal caller Kyler Murray, most NFL teams wouldn't be comfortable with their slot corner being on an island as the "contain" defender against read option plays.