The Seattle Seahawks bolstered their defense through the draft by taking Devon Witherspoon with the fifth overall pick. One of the issues with the Seattle defense in 2022 was the inability to stop the pass. They got burned often and gave up a huge amount of points. The Seahawks are hoping that the addition of Witherspoon will help their pass defense improve. The reports have been positive about Witherspoon and he has already drawn comparisons to a franchise legend.
Seattle Seahawks Devon Witherspoon Compared To Franchise Legend
On his Brock and Salk podcast with Seattle Sports, former Seattle quarterback Brock Huard talked about what he was seeing from Witherspoon and he compared him to Earl Thomas.
“He’s a real violent dude,” Huard said of Witherspoon. “And then the question is, ‘Yeah, well, he’s 5 foot 11, 183 (pounds). Can he sustain?’ And what was said about Earl Thomas when he came out? ‘Violent dude. I mean, does not stop, runs through people.’ And then what was the next follow up?”
While the ending of Earl Thomas’ time in Seattle was not great, he had some amazing seasons for the team. If Witherspoon is the second coming of Thomas, the team will be very happy.
Seattle’s Expectations For 2023
After making the playoffs last year, the team is hoping to improve on last season. Geno Smith was rewarded with a new contract and he looks to build on last year. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the other first-round pick, has gotten rave reviews as well. The NFC Conference is weak this year so making a run is very possible. The biggest problem for Seattle is division rival, San Francisco. However, they are having quarterback issues if a couple of things bounce their way, they could compete for the division crown.
The Seattle Seahawks are hoping that Devon Witherspoon can become the next great corner to come out of Seattle. The team has proven they can find and develop defensive talent and this looks to be another great pick.