If you checked out mock drafts before the 2023 NFL Draft, you'd have found Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon to the Detroit Lions at No. 6 overall was a very popular pick. If he was there in the actual draft proceedings, it seemed sure the Lions would take him without hesitation.
But it was not to be. The Seattle Seahawks took Witherspoon one pick before the Lions at No. 5 overall. On Saturday, ahead of facing the Seahawks Monday night, Campbell acknowledged the affinity Witherspoon garnered in the building at Allen Park during the pre-draft process.
"We really liked him a lot," Campbell said. "And I would say what you see on tape is exactly what we thought he would be. He is a competitive, feisty, tough, football-playing dude. Plays the corner, plays the nickel, active player. Ball guy."
Witherspoon started his career at the Seahawks' nickel corner, but so far this season he has lined up on the the outside in their base defense while moving inside when they play nickel. Last year he had 79 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three sacks, 16 pass breakups and an interception on his way to finishing fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. He’s off to a strong start this year with 17 tackles and one pass breakup. His 70.8 overall Pro Football Focus grade is 27th among cornerbacks, with the fourth-best run defense grade at the position (86.5).
Dan Campbell is happy with how things turned out in the 2023 draft
Perhaps spurred by Witherspoon not being available, the Lions ended up trading out of the No. 6 overall pick. That trade down with the Arizona Cardinals yielded the picks that brought Jahmyr Gibbs (No, 12 overall) and Sam LaPorta (No. 34 overall) to Detroit.
Campbell included Brian Branch in the "what if" scenario if the Lions had ended up with Witherspoon at No. 6. Jack Campbell was taken with the Lions' original first-round pick (No. 18 overall), so he didn't get a mention in that context.
"I would take (Brian) Branch, LaPorta, and Gibbs for that,” Campbell said. “Whatever that combination (of picks) was, had it been him (Witherspoon), you’re losing out on one of those players. You don’t get the combination of three.”
Hindsight "what if" scenarios always come after a draft, as players build NFL resumes. While Witherspoon would have been a great fit for the Lions, and they knew he would be, things turned out very nicely when it was all said and done.
