Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon (21) runs between drills during a joint practice with the Green Bay Packers on Thursday, August 21, 2025, at Clarke Hinkle Field in Ashwaubenon, Wis. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ESPN rankings suggests 99 NFL players are better than Devon Witherspoon

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Aug 25, 2025 12:32 PM ET

The Worldwide Leader in Sports combined its resources to come up its 2025 version of the Top 100 players in the National Football League. It utilized 10 insiders and analyst to compile the list, plus got a little assist from ESPN Research, fantasy analyst Mike Clay and the network’s NFL Nation reporters.

Not surprisingly, Kansas City Chiefs’ quarterback and three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes owns the top spot. At the bottom of the list is highly-regarded Seattle Seahawks’ cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who slipped 16 spots from his 2024 ranking (84th).

Devon Witherspoon is surprisingly low on ESPN’s Top 100 players list

“Witherspoon barely cracks the list despite two straight Pro Bowl appearances to begin his career,” said Seahawks’ writer Brady Henderson. “With an endless motor and aggressive playing style that belies his 185-pound frame, the No. 5 pick of the 2023 draft has filled a dual role at outside corner and nickel. Most of his biggest plays have come inside, and it remains to be seen how much he'll line up there now that Seattle plans to use second-round pick Nick Emmanwori as a third safety in some packages.”

ESPN points out that “Witherspoon has the second-most tackles (177) among corners since entering the NFL.” That would be 2023, when he was the fifth overall pick in the draft that year. The projection for the two-year pro this upcoming season is 92 tackles, one interception, and a sack.”

Speaking of one pick, that’s Witherspoon’s interception total in two seasons. Perhaps that’s what has him ranked so low in this exercise. It’s also worth noting that ESPN has 10 cornerbacks ranked ahead of the former University of Illinois standout. Perhaps a few more takeaways during the 2025 season, as well as a big year from the Seahawks’ defense overall, might elevate the playing reputation of the 24-year-old cornerback.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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