The Seattle Seahawks broke from tradition under Pete Carroll and John Schneider, taking Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the No. 5 overall pick. It’s the first time they’ve taken a cornerback earlier than Round 3, and if there was any additional surprise it’s the fact that they bypassed Jalen Carter and Tyree Wilson despite the defensive line being a bigger position of need.
My initial reaction to the pick was that Seattle could’ve gotten him a few spots lower in the draft with a trade down. It turns out I’m extremely wrong, and had the Seahawks traded down (or drafted someone else), Witherspoon would’ve stayed in Big Ten country with the next pick.