Raiders Today

Raiders NFL Draft Prospect: CB Devon Witherspoon, Illinois

The Las Vegas Raiders could add top cornerback Devon Witherspoon of the University of Illinois in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Jairo Alvarado

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The Las Vegas Raiders will be overhauling the entire roster this offseason, and one way they will bring top talent into their locker room is via the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Silver and Black have plenty of gaps to fill and positions to upgrade; besides the quarterback position, the secondary needs a major upgrade.

We will work alongside SI’s Draft Bible to get you the latest information on any cornerbacks the Raiders might consider drafting.

“We’re going to continue to find players who fit what we look for, and continue to build this team in our vision, and I think we’re going to, at the same time, our goal is to win football games, and our goal for next year is to make an improvement over where we were this year,” Raiders General Manager Dave Ziegler said.

Cornerback Devon Witherspoon, Illinois

The cornerback class for this year’s NFL Draft is loaded with talent, but a few have cemented themselves as first-round prospects, and one of them is Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon.

“Witherspoon plays on both the boundary and field sides of the defense for Illinois. The dynamic cornerback takes snaps covering X, Y, and Z receivers from a combination of press coverage and off-man,” Draft Bible said of Witherspoon.

“The Fighting Illini trust Witherspoon to handle these diverse assignments, often with little help.”

Aside from his great coverage skills, he also displays his physicality in the running game.

Witherspoon is a physical cornerback who will bring down ball carriers and go against tight ends in coverage. He may not have top-end speed, but he mirrors well against any receiver with his footwork, technique, and quick reactions.

In 2022, Witherspoon had the best season of his college career and perhaps some of the best among all cornerbacks.

The 6-foot, 180-pound cornerback saw action in 12 games while playing 738 snaps.

Witherspoon recorded a total of 41 tackles (32 solos), and 2.5 tackles for losses, and in coverage, Witherspoon had 14 pass breakups, and three interceptions and allowed an outstanding QB rating of 25.3.

“He understands what route combinations are occurring. He understands wide receiver splits. The young man is brilliantly intelligent. He’s very, very, very smart. He can tell you what formations, what routes they like, and when they like to run them. He’s that intelligent,” Illinois defensive backs coach Aaron Henry said.

Witherspoon was the highest-graded cornerback (92.0) by Pro Football Focus after allowing 22 catches from 63 targets for 206 yards. He made three interceptions and 14 pass breakups.

Drafting Witherspoon will immediately impact the Raiders' secondary and solidify one side of the field for years to come.

The NFL Draft will occur at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo., from Thursday, April 25 to Saturday, April 29. ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network will broadcast all seven rounds.

The NFL Scouting Combine is Feb. 28-March 6, 2023, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. March 7, 2023, before 4 p.m. EST, is the club's deadline to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 13-15 is the free agent negotiation period. Starting at 12 p.m. EST on March 13 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m. EST on March 15, clubs are permitted to contact and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2022 Player Contracts at 4 p.m. EST on March 15.

The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period begins at 4 p.m. EST on March 15. The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this season.

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Jairo Alvarado
JAIRO ALVARADO

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