Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon, one of the best prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, just helped his cause with a strong workout on Wednesday.
The 5-foot-11, 181-pound Witherspoon ran 40-yard dash times of 4.46 and 4.42 seconds at his private workout at Illinois, according to NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah. Because of a hamstring injury, Witherspoon was unable to work out at all at the NFL Scouting Combine or Illinois' pro day on March 10.
Those are not special 40 times from Witherspoon, but they are likely to ease the concerns of evaluators from teams considering him in the first round on April 27. Seven cornerbacks ran faster 40 times than Witherspoon did at his workout -- several of whom are bigger. The two fastest 40 times in Indianapolis came from two players similarly sized to Witherspoon: Michigan's DJ Turner II (4.26 seconds) and Maryland's Jakorian Bennett (4.30).
But for a sub-six-foot corner, Witherspoon might safely be projected in Round 1 after running times in the 4.4s. He was a pillar of the Illini's top-ranked scoring defense in FBS last season, earning first-team Associated Press All-American honors and being named Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and a Jim Thorpe Award finalist. Witherspoon had 17 passes defended, three interceptions and 41 tackles (2.5 for loss) in 12 starts in 2022.
Witherspoon is ranked No. 6 in Jeremiah's latest Top 50 overall NFL prospect rankings.
