Devon Witherspoon Compared to Former Lions CB Darius Slay

Could the Detroit Lions invest the No. 6 pick in Devon Witherspoon?

Heading into the Scouting Combine, the Detroit Lions have been linked with several college defensive backs. 

In the early mock drafts released, Detroit general manager Brad Holmes targets some of the top college prospects to play cornerback with the No. 6 pick. 

In a recent ESPN article grading potential first-round draft prospects, Illinois defensive back Devon Witherspoon was among three cornerbacks who earned top billing. 

Christian Gonzalez, out of Oregon, and Joey Porter Jr., from Penn State, were the other two defensive backs who earned first-round grades. 

Witherspoon was compared to former Lions cornerback Darius Slay, who went on to have success with the Philadelphia Eagles after being dealt by former general manager Bob Quinn. 

Former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon explained this year what having top cornerbacks playing well can bring to a team's defense. 

Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon / © Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

“A luxury that you can't put a price on, honestly,” Gannon explained in early December. "With those guys being able to be multiple in what they're doing, and you can play certain coverages and not worry about their formations or match-ups, it opens the book up with what you want to do. And then, you can apply pressure to different people accordingly.”

For Detroit, adding one or maybe two cornerbacks to the roster could aid the defense in giving up fewer explosive plays, plus less points and yards allowed than in 2022. 

"An aggressive and physical cornerback, Witherspoon is sticky in coverage and uses his size (6-foot-1, 180 pounds) and quickness to stay in-phase and eliminate targets," writer Matt Miller explained. "He had three interceptions and 14 pass breakups this past season. And while run defense doesn't get talked about much with corner prospects, Witherspoon's open-field tackling ability is the best in the class at the position."