Devon Witherspoon drafted fifth overall by Seattle Seahawks

Apr. 27—KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Devon Witherspoon didn't have long to wait to hear his name called Thursday night at the 2023 NFL draft. To have his moment on stage in Kansas City with commissioner Roger Goodell.

The Illinois cornerback was selected with the No. 5 overall pick by the Seattle Seahawks.

"I'm proud to see him maximize the the opportunity he's been given," Illinois coach Bret Bielema told Big Ten Network's Emily Ehman on Thursday in Kansas City. "I think about halfway through this year I was like, 'OK, he's playing at a different level.' The calls we've fielded over the last month have just been awesome. ... He's a guy that really, truly is internally motivated. We try to do things, obviously, but he has a burning desire to be the best there is. I think that's what the NFL sees."

Witherspoon is Illinois' first first-round pick since Whitney Mercilus and A.J. Jenkins were both selected in the first round in 2012, with Mercilus going No. 26 to the Houston Texans and Jenkins No. 30 to the San Francisco 49ers. Landing at No. 5, though, makes Witherspoon the first Illinois player to go in the top 10 since Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice went back-to-back at Nos. 2 and 3 in 1996 to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals, respectively.

Witherspoon had a breakout season for Illinois in 2022. The 6-foot, 180-pound cornerback was one of three finalists for the Jim Thorpe Award — presented to the best defensive back in the country — and earned Big Ten Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year honors. Witherspoon was also a consensus All-American last fall, which made him the 21st Illinois football player to earn that honor in program history.

"I think he had started five games before we got there," Bielema said. "To see him emotionally grow a year ago, I thought going into this year we might be on to something special. From the first game to the last game and every one in between, he just continued to get better every day."

Witherspoon started all 12 regular season games at cornerback for Illinois and only missed the ReliaQuest Bowl after opting out to turn his attention to his professional pursuits. The Pensacola, Fla., native finished his final season with the Illini with 40 tackles, 14 pass breakups, three interception and 2 1/2 tackles for loss. He didn't allow a touchdown all season and finished with the No. 1 coverage grade in the nation, per Pro Football Focus. He was both the No. 1-graded cornerback in the Power Five and had the top passer rating against in Power Five.

Witherspoon's top marks from PFF also included him ranking second in the nation in forced incompletions with 18 and fourth in the nation in forced incompletion percentage at 28.6 percent. He allowed just 16 receptions total on 54 targets as the primary defender and allowed just 3.3 yards against per attempt, according to ESPN.

"Being in (the NFL) for three years, I think you really appreciate guys that love to compete," Bielema said, referencing his time with the New England Patriots and New York Giants. "He is the ultimate competitor. I know, as a corner, if we didn't match him up against (the other team's) best wideout he was mad. ... I just can't say enough about his competitive nature. I've said this to several (general managers) and owners over the last several weeks. His best football is in front of him. As good as he is, I literally think the sky is the limit for what he could be."

While Witherspoon was the first Illinois player selected Thursday, he won't be the last. Nickel back Quan Martin and safety Sydney Brown both could be selected in the second or third rounds. Running back Chase Brown is also a projected draft pick — likely in the fourth round — while defensive tackle Calvin Avery, offensive tackle Alex Palczewski and quarterback Tommy DeVito could be all be late-round picks.