Even on a team with a long history of legendary defensive players, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon might stand on a tier of his own once it's all said and done. He's already doing that among his peers, and he's still on his rookie contract.
The former No. 5 pick put the icing on top of the cake of an almost perfect season by showing he can -- literally -- do it all on defense. He went through the New England Patriots' offensive line like a hot knife through butter to strip-sack Drake Maye in the fourth quarter.
Uchenna Nwosu recovered the ball, went off to the races for a score, and put the exclamation point in a Super Bowl win that was never in doubt.
That was just another example of Witherspoon's dominance, ever-improving play, and reliability. That's why it's not much of a surprise to see that Pro Football Focus (subscription required) gave him the highest grade among all cornerbacks this season (90.1).
Seattle Seahawks' Devon Witherspoon earned PFF's highest grade of the season
The third-year player out of Illinois had already topped the list in the regular season with a PFF grade of 89.9. He ranked first among 114 eligible players, and that's despite ranking 54th in snaps played with just 720.
Besides his physicality and his hard-hitting tackle, Witherspoon landed in a perfect place in Seattle. With him and rookie sensation Nick Emmanwori, Mike Macdonald and defensive coordinator Aden Durde have two Swiss army knife-type players whose talent and athleticism are only topped by their versatility.
Witherspoon may not be as big as other guys, but he makes up for it with top-notch effort and unmatched strength at the position. He's elite against the run and, as shown by his strip-sack in the biggest game of his career, he can also be deadly when it's time to blitz.
If we're nitpicking, he's not much of a ball-hawk. He only has two interceptions in three years in the league, and having him force more giveaways would obviously elevate the best defense in the game even further.
Then again, that also has to do with the fact that opposing quarterbacks don't even dare challenge him anymore. He earned a reputation for being the ultimate disruptor when he defended 16 passes as a rookie, and that number has dropped to nine last season and seven in 2025. According to Football Reference, he's given up a minuscule 6.4 yards per target in his career.
The Seahawks have all the tools they need to become the next dynasty, including the sixth-most cap space in the NFL and a plethora of young talent. Witherspoon is just getting started, and that should be a scary thought for the rest of the league.