Seahawks News: Pete Carroll, Devon Witherspoon and power rankings

Devon Witherspoon wins a major award

After his unbelievably fantastic play in Week 4, rookie cornerback Devon Witherspoon was the winner for NFC Defensive Player of the Week. In doing so, he is the first 2023 rookie to win the award. He is the fifth Seahawks rookie ever to win DPOW and the list includes linebacker Brian Bosworth (Week 15 in 1987), safety Ken Hamlin (week 2 in 2003), safety Michael Boulware (Week 11 in 2004), and cornerback Tariq Woolen (Week 6 in 2022).

Witherspoon also became the fourth player who played at the University of Illinois to win DPOW after safety Keith Taylor (Week 7 in 1989), cornerback Vontae Davis (Week 17 in 2012), and safety Kerby Joseph (Week 9 of 2022). You might not be a Fighting Illini fan, or maybe you are. Either way, you are a Seahawks fan so Witherspoon winning is great.

Against the New York Giants, Witherspoon has 7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and a 97-yard interception return. I don't care which level of football a person plays, if you walk into your home and your friends and family ask how you did and you give them that stat-line, they will know you completely balled out.

We also have to remember that the game was just Witherspoon's third of his career. The Seahawks made a fantastic choice by taking at number five overall in the 2023 NFL draft. He is going to make the defense in multiple ways and for a bunch of years. And he and Woolen will form one of the best cornerback pairs in the league if they aren't there already.