SEATTLE — Devon Witherspoon's Seahawks career got off to a slower start than the team expected, but the rookie arrived in a big way on Monday Night Football as Seattle beat the New York Giants 24-3.
The No. 5 overall draft pick filled up the stat sheet, racking up 7 tackles, 2 sacks, a pass deflection, and the highlight of the night for the Seahawks, a 97-yard interception return for a touchdown that took the remaining air out of an already deflated Giants crowd at MetLife Stadium.
Witherspoon had an abbreviated first training camp with the Seahawks after coming down with a hamstring injury and did not play in the Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Seahawks have now won all three games he has played in this season, and Witherspoon's ability to tackle in space has been a huge benefit for Seattle's maligned defense.
Only Bobby Wagner posted a higher Pro Football Focus grade Monday night than Witherspoon, whose numbers have steadily improved as he gets more games under his belt.
Many fans around the Pacific Northwest were stunned when Witherspoon was the Seahawks' selection at No. 5 overall, especially after Jalen Carter dominated the preseason for the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Witherspoon has more sacks than Carter now after 4 weeks, despite Carter being a defensive lineman and having played in one more game than Witherspoon.
It is much too early to make the comparison and definitively say the Seahawks made the right choice, as each and every rookie is at most 4 games into their professional football career. By that logic, the Seahawks also made a very poor choice in drafting Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the team's other first-round selection.
Just 5 receivers have posted a worse PFF grade through 4 weeks than Smith-Njigba, including many of the wideouts who were taken after him. Did the Seahawks draft a bust at wide receiver? No, because it is ridiculous to make any kind of determinations on an NFL player until they at least have a season or more under their belt.
So enjoy Witherspoon's brilliant performance that has fueled the Seahawks' 3-1 start, and hope the team can keep that momentum rolling after its Week 5 bye.