Illinois Football: Devon Witherspoon a consensus top 20 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft

We are still over two months out from the 2023 NFL Draft, but all three pundits at the NFL Network have an Illinois football player going high in the first round.

That fact that an Illini player is in the discussion to be a first-round NFL Draft pick is exciting, let alone we could have someone picked in the top 20 this year. This is great for the player and amazing for the Illinois football program trying to convince high school kids that they can come to Champaign and get to the league.

The 2023 NFL Draft looks almost like a near-lock that the Illini will have cornerback Devon Witherspoon picked in the first round. The question now remains; how high will Witherspoon go?

Devon Witherspoon could be teaming up with another former Illinois football defensive back.

Three different NFL analysts put together their 2023 NFL mock drafts. They only did the first round, but that was enough when looking at Witherspoon. Spoiler alert, all three pundits had Witherspoon going in the first round.

Eric Edholm’s mock draft

Edholm has Witherspoon slipping in the first round a bit, as he has the Detroit Lions selecting him with pick No. 18. This is lower than most mock drafts that I have seen. Here is what Edholm had to say about Witherspoon.

"The Lions just struck gold with Illinois safety Kerby Joseph, so why not head back to Champaign to land one of the scrappiest, most instinctive corners in the draft. Witherspoon fits the Lions’ mold — and is a former roommate of Joseph’s, to boot."

It is certainly exciting to have Witherspoon potentially team up with Kerby Joseph at the next level. As a Chicago Bears fan, it would pain me to cheer for the Lions, but I would definitely have a rooting interest.

Daniel Jeremiah’s mock draft

Jeremiah and Edholm differ a little bit with their mock drafts. Jeremiah also has the Lions taking Witherspoon in the first round, but he has them using pick No. 6 in the draft. Here is what Jeremiah has to say about the talented Illini defensive back.

"I fell in love with Witherspoon’s skill set after the first game I studied. He is dripping with instincts and possesses outstanding ball skills. His feisty play style would fit the culture Dan Campbell and Co. are building in Detroit."

When Jeremiah refers to Dan Campbell’s culture, I believe he means gritty and tough. Campbell has mentioned before his team would bite the kneecaps off of opponents. I think Witherspoon would fit in nicely with the Lions.

Bucky Brooks’ mock draft

We finally have someone who thinks that Witherspoon won’t go to the Lions. Brooks has Witherspoon still going decently high at No. 16, but he has him going to the Washington Commanders. Here is what Brooks had to say about Witherspoon.

"The ultra-smooth cover corner flashes lockdown capabilities on the island."

There isn’t a lot of in-depth analysis here, but I agree with him. Witherspoon was one of the best cornerbacks in the country when in man coverage. He actually led all cornerbacks with a 92.5 coverage grade, according to Pro Football Focus.