The Seattle Seahawks turned plenty of heads during the 2023 NFL draft when they selected Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon at No. 5 overall. Instead of addressing the biggest need at defensive line, Seattle opted to bolster their secondary. At the time, many questioned the logic.
Doubters quickly fell by the wayside once we all got to see Witherspoon in action. Arguably the best defensive player on the Seahawks last year, Witherspoon made a name for himself as a rising defensive star in the league. One player who would certainly like to take the field with Witherspoon is his former Fighting Illini teammate, Johnny Newton.
Considered one of the top defensive line prospects in the 2024 NFL draft, Newton spoke about what it would be like to play with Witherspoon again.
Johnny Newton on his meeting with the Seattle #Seahawks and the possibility of teaming up with Devon Witherspoon again @DevonWitherspo1 @Johnny5Newton pic.twitter.com/XAakDQTVO2
— Dante J Furco (@DanteFurco) February 28, 2024
As I mentioned previously, defensive line was a major liability for Seattle going into last year and it proved to remain as such throughout the season. The Seahawks need to build considerably better depth up front. Perhaps adding Newton into the mix could help slow down opposing rush offenses… as well as giving a morale boost to their young star in the secondary.