Seahawks first-round pick Devon Witherspoon’s impressive start to his NFL career continued in Sunday’s 20-10 win over the Cardinals.
Witherspoon had four tackles and a pass defensed on the final stat sheet, but also had an interception and a sack nullified by penalties on other players. One of the four tackles was a massive hit on Cardinals wide receiver Rondale Moore and Witherspoon did it while shifting between outside cornerback and slot cornerback during the game.
After the game, Witherspoon’s teammate Jamal Adams was asked how a rookie is able to handle both roles while making so many splash plays. The veteran safety said he couldn’t answer because he wasn’t at that level as a rookie.
“I don’t know,” Adams said, via Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune. “You’ve got ask him on that. Because my rookie year, I was ass. . . . He’s a phenomenal football player. Again, hats off to him. He’s very smart. He’s coachable. He listens. It’s a rare find, man. There’s a reason why he’s a top-five pick. He’s definitely not ass.”
Witherspoon’s versatility has allowed the Seahawks to play him along with five other defensive backs in recent weeks and the Seahawks’ defense has turned in three good performances in a row with that look in place. They’ll try to keep that run going against the Browns next weekend.