Devon Witherspoon Biography

Devon Marquis Witherspoon, born on December 11, 2000, is an American professional football cornerback who has played in the National Football League. He earned Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year honors during his 2022 season with the Illinois Fighting Illini. Witherspoon was selected fifth overall by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2023 NFL draft. He was known for his confidence and was recognized as the top trash-talker on the Fighting Illini team during his college career. During his senior year, he was among twelve finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back. On September 17, 2023, he made his professional regular season debut and earned his first career start, recording five combined tackles and breaking up one pass in a 37–31 victory over the Detroit Lions. In that same game, he became the third rookie in NFL history to record 2.0+ sacks and a 95+ yard pick six, and the first player since 1982 to achieve both feats in a single game.