NFL draft: Seahawks select Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon with fifth pick, Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba 20th

RENTON, Wash. – With the top three quarterbacks off the board, the Seahawks pulled a major surprise Thursday by selecting cornerback Devon Witherspoon of Illinois with the fifth overall pick.

The pick of Witherspoon meant Seattle passed on two of the top defensive linemen in the draft in tackle Jalen Carter of Georgia and end Tyree Wilson of Texas Tech.

It also bucked much of Seattle’s recent history as the team had not taken a cornerback higher than 90 (Shaquill Griffin in 2017) in the Pete Carroll/John Schneider era.

And it appeared to go against the team’s biggest needs, which seemed to be on the defensive front.

But the Seahawks holding two of the top 20 picks, four of the first 52 and five of the top 83 may have enticed Seattle to even more strongly go with the best player available.

And the Seahawks had shown their interest in the cornerback spot by having several of the top players at the position in for predraft top 30 visits.

Witherspoon himself, though, said he wasn’t sure the Seahawks were in his future.

“I was confident I was going to go pretty high,” he said. “I ain’t know it was going to be Seattle, though. I’m glad that it is.”

Witherspoon, listed at 5-foot-11, 181 pounds, said he usually covered the opponent’s best receiver, meaning he has plenty of experience working on either side of the ball.

That leads to the early thought that Witherspoon will be thrown into competition with Michael Jackson on the left side with the team likely keeping second-year player Tariq Woolen on the right and Coby Bryant at nickel.

“I actually got a chance to play against him (Woolen) in college (in 2021, when Illinois played Texas-San Antonio),” Witherspoon said. “So I know what he brings to the table. So I’m just ready to go out there and compete with him and just go out there and be a great duo on the field.”

Pro Football Focus wrote of Witherspoon: “Witherspoon had one of the best seasons we’ve ever graded from a college cornerback. He was targeted 63 times in 2022 and allowed only 22 catches for 206 yards with three picks and 14 pass breakups. That comes out to 3.3 yards per target. He’s one of the feistiest cornerbacks in the class.”

The draft began as expected with Carolina taking QB Bryce Young of Alabama.

But the draft threw its first curveball when Houston selected Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud at No. 2. There had been much speculation the Texans would go defense with that pick, which would have changed domino effect at quarterback.

Except, Houston pulled off another shocker, making a trade with Arizona to get the third pick and taking Alabama defensive end Will Anderson Jr.

The Colts then got things back on track taking Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson.

With three of the top four quarterbacks off the board, Seattle was left with the pick of the rest of the defensive litter.

There had been much speculation Seattle would go with Carter, who a few months had been considered as potentially going No. 1 but had been beset with some off-field issues – having pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of racing and reckless driving in relation to a January car crash in which two people were killed – as well as having performed poorly at his pro day. (Carter ended up going ninth to the Eagles.)

The Seahawks had also been widely reported to consider trading down out of the fifth pick. They used up almost all of their allotted 10 minutes before finally submitting a card with Witherspoon’s name on it.

The pick means Witherspoon will receive a four-year deal with a total value of $33.3 million and a signing bonus of $21.2 million.

He becomes the cornerback on the team’s roster, joining Woolen, Jackson, Bryant, Tre Brown and Isaiah Dunn.

He is the first cornerback the team has taken in the first round since Kelly Jennings in 2006, and taken with what is the eighth-highest pick in team history and highest of the Schneider/Carroll era.

That means he’ll come to Seattle with high expectations.

But the Seahawks obviously think he’ll be worth it, eschewing their usual habit of relying on mostly mid-to-late-round picks to fill out the cornerback spot, such as Griffin, Woolen (fifth on 2022) and Richard Sherman (fifth in 2011).

“Witherspoon may not have an elite physical skill set for the position, but his senior-year tape was as good as we’ve seen in our nine years of college grading,” PFF wrote.

That includes a reputation for physical play. Athlon’s described Witherspoon as “an exceedingly feisty and confident man corner.”

“That’s just always been me, man,” Witherspoon said. “You’ve got to want to tackle. This game is about tacking and defending the run. It’s everything.

“So really, that’s just always been me.”

Hawks boost offense with second pick

The conventional wisdom was that the Seahawks would use at least one of their first two picks in the first round to address some holes on the defensive front.

Instead, Seattle continued a somewhat surprising first round by taking Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba at No. 20.

Smith-Njigba will join a Seattle receiving corps led by Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf that has lacked a consistent third receiver for years.

The 6-foot, 196-pound Smith-Njigba totaled 95 receptions for 1,606 yards in 2021 before playing just three games in 2022 because of a hamstring injury.

That he didn’t play much in 2022 had led to some questions about his draft stock.

But his 2021 season when he played alongside New York Jets Garrett Wilson and Saints Chris Olave – each first-round picks in 2022 – and put up the best numbers apparently won over the Seahawks.

His 2021 season included a record performance in the Rose Bowl against Utah when he had 15 receptions for 347 yards.

Smith-Njigba said the Seahawks didn’t need to worry about his injury-riddled 2022 season saying, “I promise they won’t regret it,” in a brief interview with the NFL Network following his selection.

Smith-Njigba becomes the first receiver taken by Seattle in the first round since Koren Robinson ninth overall in 2001.

The only other receiver Seattle has taken in the first round is Joey Galloway at No. 8 in 1995. Galloway also played at Ohio State.

Smith-Njigba figures to see his most significant action first for Seattle as a slot receiver, where according to Pro Football Focus he ran 83% of his routes in his Ohio State career.

Seattle also has 2021 second-rounder Dee Eskridge on the roster as a contender for a No. 3 receiver role. But he has battled injuries in his Seattle career and has just 17 receptions in 20 games in two years.

PFF wrote in its scouting report of Smith-Njigba: “Smith-Njigba missed almost the entire fall with hamstring issues but was Ohio State’s leading receiver in 2021 as a sophomore. That year, he caught 95 passes for 1,595 yards and nine scores. He provides the uncoachable route-running ability and ball skills that will always have a role in the NFL.”