John Schneider, Pete Carroll reflect on first day of NFL Draft
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 27: (L-R) Devon Witherspoon poses with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected fifth overall by the Seattle Seahawks during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft at Union Station on April 27, 2023 in Kansas C
RENTON, Wash. - The Seattle Seahawks came out of the first day of the NFL Draft with potentially the two best players in the draft class at their respective positions in Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon and Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
It was the first time since the Seahawks had selected a cornerback in the first round of the draft since Miami's Kelly Jennings (No. 31 overall) in 2006. Smith-Njigba was the first wide receiver to be drafted by the team in the first round since North Carolina State's Koren Robinson (No. 9 overall) in 2001.
Witherspoon was the first cornerback selected in the drat at No. 5 overall while Smith-Njigba was the first receiver taken at No. 20 overall. It was the first time Seattle had multiple first round selections since taking tackle Russell Okung (No. 6 overall) and safety Earl Thomas (No. 14 overall) in the 2010 draft.
While there is no reason to doubt the talent of either Witherspoon or Smith-Njigba with Seattle's selections, it was curious to see the team elect not to use either of their first round picks on defensive line help. Head coach Pete Carroll said in the lead up to the draft "we've still got work to do" on the defensive line despite the offseason additions of Dre'Mont Jones and Jarran Reed.
Even after the first round general manager John Schneider continued to note they have more to do up front.
"We recognize that we need help on the defensive line," Schneider said.
However, her said none of the defensive linemen available (such as Georgia's Jalen Carter, Texas Tech's Tyree Wilson and Iowa's Lukas Van Ness) tempted them over the picks they made.
"We had an order setup and we were ready to rip. There's things that are pretty tempting, right? But you got to just stay true to what you're doing and that's what we did," Schneider said.
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Seahawks select Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon with 5th pick in NFL Draft
The Seattle Seahawks have selected Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the fifth-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Carroll raved about the qualities he sees in Witherspoon and drew a comparison to former Pittsburgh Steelers standout Troy Polamalu, who Carroll coached at USC.
"He's a rare player," Carroll said of Witherspoon. "We've been through this draft in the years we've been here, we haven't seen a guy like this. And you know we have not drafted corners high just because we haven't come across a guy that has this makeup. It's his athletic ability. It's his speed. It's his playmaking. It's his mentality. Haven't come across a guy like this in a long time.
"Last time I recognized this kind of makeup was back at SC we had a guy that you guys may know Troy Polamalu was a guy that had an extraordinary way about the way he played the game and I saw this connection between what Devon does and how he looks at the game and how he approaches it that just knocked me out and so I'm just really excited about this. Physically tough. He's got an attitude. He's gonna bring in. He's gonna fit in right with our guys. That's a great matchup for us.
"It's just how he approaches the game. You know, the way he sees his opportunities and stuff. I've always really held Troy in high regard in that sense and this was the closest that I've come to somebody talking and acting and performing like that."
Witherspoon followed the best receivers of opponents and played both inside and outside for Illinois.
A three-year starter at Illinois, Witherspoon played both outside and in the nickel position during his time with the Illini. Witherspoon was a consensus All-American and the Big Ten Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year in 2022.
"His expectations are exceedingly high for the plays that he thinks he can make and will go for. It’s the go for it attitude that was really obvious. You can see it and then to hear him talk about it and how he sensed it and all of that, I was really excited about that," Carroll said.
"He’s a natural athlete and he’s got a great spatial sense of awareness. And he’s got this other part of his makeup that allows him to go for it. I think football was just waiting for him. He just needed to show up and get out there. It comes to him very easily, he’s a great learner."
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Seahawks take Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba with 20th overall pick
The Seattle Seahawks selected Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the 20th overall pick in the NFL Draft.
Meanwhile, Smith-Njigba appears to be Seattle's answer for their third wide receiver spot.
Smith-Njigba was a two-year starter at Ohio State that was a slot receiver option for the Buckeyes. Smith-Njigba set a Big Ten single-season record with 1,606 receiving yards in 2021 that included a standout performance in the Rose Bowl with 347 yards against Utah.
"That’s what we were in the pursuit of in the draft and that’s why we are so excited to have gotten him," Carroll said. "We thought he was the best guy in this draft to fill this role. That’s why we are so pleased about where we are right now going into tomorrow, we nailed it.
"I really like him, he’s a guy that can play on the inside and in the slot right now. He has those kinds of skills, and he has shown us everything that we need to see. We will still use the flexibility because we love Tyler (Lockett) in there as well and DK (Metcalf) gets in, so we do move our guys. He really has a chance to be a big factor right there."
Smith-Njigba played just three games for Ohio State last season due to a hamstring injury. Schneider said if he'd had another healthy year, Smith-NJigba would have been a top 10 pick.
"He’s got a lot of power in his lower body, a ton of body control. Elite hands. Really good eyes. He’s going to be a fun guy," Schneider said.
"You’ll see that he really has a knack for change in direction," added Carroll. "Like John was saying, he’s really strong in the lower body. He can get in and out of breaks powerfully. That was really obvious in the workout. It was great that we got to see him in person."
Notes:
– Schneider said there were five or six different teams he was talking with about possible trade scenarios. None of those discussions surrounded moving up from the No. 5 puick, however.
"We discussed several things, but we had two players that we weren’t going to leave for and Devon was one of them."