NFL Betting Odds: Seahawks' Devon Witherspoon Rookie of the Year?

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon is being considered the team's leading candidate for the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Thanks to the Russell Wilson trade to the Denver Broncos an offseason ago, the Seattle Seahawks acquired the No. 5 overall pick in this past April's NFL Draft. As general manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll said in the leadup to being on the clock, having a pick that high was rare for them in Seattle. Without the Wilson trade, eventual first-round pick Devon Witherspoon may never go to Seattle. 

Yet, the former Illinois cornerback is just less than a week away from the start of his first NFL training camp, and the expectations are high for him. Since arriving in Seattle, Witherspoon has drawn comparisons to former Seahawk great Richard Sherman and even Earl Thomas.

With those high comparisons in mind, DraftKings gave Witherspoon +1000 odds to be the Defensive Rookie of the Year, making him third-best in the NFL. The only two rookies with better odds than the newest Seahawk are Will Anderson Jr. (Houston Texans, +400) and Jalen Carter (Philadelphia Eagles, +700).

Witherspoon's place in third behind Anderson and Carter isn't all too surprising, considering both were considered two of the best players available in this past offseason's NFL Draft.

Yet, a cornerback beating out high-profile rookie edge rushers isn't uncommon. Just look at last season, where New York Jets corner Sauce Garnder beat out Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson and the Seahawks' Tariq Woolen.

Witherspoon's candidacy for the award was also echoed in a recent article from Bleacher Report, where they named him over fellow first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the Seahawks' top candidate.  

"If Witherspoon can combine solid play on the outside with a few interceptions, he has a chance to be the second cornerback in a row to win Defensive Rookie of the Year," Bleacher Report writes.

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