Devon Witherspoon is heading to Seattle. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Seahawks rebuild Legion of Boom with fifth overall pick in 2023 NFL Draft

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 4/27/23

Is GM John Schneider looking to build another Legion of Boom? The Seattle Seahawks were the surprise team of 2022, and they shocked everyone by taking a cornerback with the fifth pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

With the fifth overall pick, Seattle took Illinois’ Devon Witherspoon. The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Florida native didn’t allow a single touchdown and had 40 tackles, three interceptions and 14 pass breakups last year.

Witherspoon finished 2022 as a consensus All-American, a Senior Bowl All-American and one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award.

ESPN’s Todd McShay rated Witherspoon as the draft’s best cornerback and the seventh-best prospect overall. According to McShay, Witherspoon has excellent instincts and balance and flashes great timing when breaking up passes and is comfortable playing press coverage.

McShay believes Witherspoon can play overly physical at times, but it’s hard to argue with a player who allowed only 22 receptions last season and limited receivers to 3.3 yards per passing attempt when he was in coverage.

Devon Witherspoon is bringing elite defensive talent to the Seattle Seahawks #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/s5JDpz0hum
— ESPN (@espn) April 28, 2023

Witherspoon will join a secondary that already features a pair of talented young cornerbacks in Coby Bryant and Tariq Woolen. Bryant forced the third-most fumbles (4) in 2022, and Woolen’s six interceptions tied for the league lead and helped him earn a trip to the Pro Bowl.

Pro Football Focus calls Witherspoon "one of the feistiest cornerbacks in the class," but it's fair to wonder why the team chose not to address their run defense. Only the Bears and Texans gave up more yards on the ground than Seattle last year.

Feisty is good, but a dominant run-stuffing tackle might've been better. Was the team scared off by Jalen Carter’s recent off-field behavior? Not only was he available, but his on-field performance seemed a natural fit with what the Seahawks want to do in 2023.

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