Seattle Seahawks 2023 Mock Draft: A final guess

Round 1 Pick 5

TRADE: Seahawks trade pick 5 to Raiders for picks 7, 70, and a 2024 4th round pick

Round 1 Pick 7: Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois 

While some may view this as a worst-case scenario, I really like this trade for Seattle and for Las Vegas. It's an overpay according to the Rich Hill Trade Value chart, but that’s to be expected when you trade up for a potential franchise quarterback. Vegas has Jimmy Garoppolo for this season, but by selecting Will Levis, they are in the Alex Smith/Pat Mahomes path of QB development. There’s no doubting Levis’ talent, but he needs time to develop in Josh McDaniels’ scheme. 

At pick 7, the Seahawks break historical data and select arguably the top-rated corner in this draft. Witherspoon had an All-American season for an Illinois team that had a tremendous rebound season. Even though he's just 5-11 ½" and 181 lbs, Witherspoon was a hammer in the secondary, shutting down Big Ten passers.

Witherspoon finished the season with 41 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, and 3 interceptions. The shutdown corner gave up zero touchdowns in 2022, while deflecting 14 passes.

Witherspoon is not the next Sauce Gardner or Derek Stingley level of prospect. I view him more as a top 15 prospect than top 5, but it's about the fit. Witherspoon and Seattle are an absolutely perfect fit. Witherspoon is really good in man coverage, but is the best zone coverage prospect in this class. His ability to shut down his area, while reading the QB and physically punishing receivers, reminds me so much of Richard Sherman.

There may be more holes, but I can get behind this rumor. With Witherspoon paired with Woolen, the Seahawks probably have the best duo at CB in the league. With them patrolling the skies, the pass rush should have more time to get after the QB, and improve this defense.