Seahawks Top Draft Choice Devon Witherspoon with Ian Furness

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
I just had a gentleman sit downby the name of Devin Witherspoon. Have
you heard of him? I toldjust told you he was a badass player.
By the way. That's he's sittingright here here. He heard you
say that. You said exactly thatalong the way, and and Devin,
great to meet you, Ian Rapper. This is what it wrapped us.
He's the NFL insert. This iswhat he does to me. All I

(00:22):
have every Friday, I have thisguy on And what do you do to
me? Rap all the time?Hey man, I gotta go. I
got news. That's what I do. But let me tell you one thing.
Did he hear me? Now?He can't? Yeah, you can
hear him? Right, Okay.Everybody was pissed that you went five.
I mean I'm telling you, likethere were twenty teams in the top ten.
I mean he saw the lines tradedout. I know there are a

(00:44):
couple of trade up conversations and everyone'slike, oh, it's just for a
quarter, like it was. Iam pretty sure it was for you.
Um, so you did well landingin Seattle. Everyone else hates you everything.
Do you like that? It callswith the life, man, It
comes with the life. Hey,hey, rap I'll talk to you soon,
Betty. Thank you. There yougo. That's you. The rappaport

(01:04):
joining us here on the on theVecon Plumbing hotline. And Devin Weathers Witherspoon
is here with us right now.How about that? Yeah? He he
literally we're just talking a minute ago. As you're walking in, he said,
everyone like when Seattle picked you atnumber five, he's and he's there.
He's one of those guys, right, he's cut. He's like,
everyone lost their mind. And that'sfrom the trade. There's trade. Right

(01:25):
after that happened, people are startingto think that. So that's pretty cool,
isn't it. Yeah, I guessyou know, what do you think
of this? You're looking I'm gonnapaint the picture real quick. Devon's here
and you're from Pensacola, so youknow what what the ocean looks like?
You know, the water looks like. But he is staring out. We're
in the second floor at the Virgima'sAthletics Center and you're looking out over Lake
Washington right now on this sunny day. What does it look like to you?

(01:46):
Man's beautiful? Man, I can'teven describe to view. It's so
beautiful. It's pretty nice, isn'tit. What have the last that's not
even twenty four hours. What arethe last eighteen hours been like for you?
So much? Having at any sleep? Uh kind of did me no
center right now? All day withmy family. Man, it's just been
an incredible moment for me. Soyour story for our listeners are sports the

(02:08):
Seahawk fans that are listening on thissports station right now. Our listeners,
we heard a little bit of thestory yesterday, but it's a pretty cool
one. You're a basketball guy,Yeah, they turned into turn into a
football guy. Yeah. Walk usthrough how that happened and how you went
from basketball to Big ten football tothe number five pick in the draft.
I mean, like I said,just kind of seven spending to mallath star

(02:29):
out playing basketball for real, Um, had Hoop has been on the NBA
court. Um, but I wantto be go out and play football my
junior high school. So I wasjust like, okay, Mo'm gonna go
ahead then play football, Flay youjust one more year, um, and
then after that year, man ashe's never lived bad man just ran with
it. Do you still love basketball? Oh? Yeah, I'm so.
I just I think it's Pete talkedabout it yesterday. They they like multi

(02:52):
sport athletes like they love multi sportathletes here. They've but over the years
they draft guys. Uh, AndI think, how what did basketball do?
I'm curious. I have a sonthat plays college football and he was
a basketball kid, and I knowhe wouldn't be doing what he's doing without
basketball. He's a lineman though helooks a little bit different than you.
But what what is basketball? Whatis it? How has it helped you?

(03:13):
How do you think it translates tothe football field. I mean basketball
helped me in a position that Iam because I played corner. So basketball
really just helps you move lateral quickness. Um, so that transfers over to
the corner position like perfectly, becauseyou gotta move lateral the stand front of
the receiver and stuff like that.So, but there's a competitive in this
and um, the endurance it ison a basketball colayer, it's just everything.

(03:34):
He's really just like a game football. But you're not hitting anybody.
So all right, So what doyou enjoy more throwing one down or taking
a shot and knocking somebody down takinga shot? Yeah? I don't know.
Oh, like like, I feellike it all depends. Like if
you're in a big basketball game.I'm pretty played a lot of au in
high level. If you're playing againstdudes and or high school, what was

(03:58):
better when hitting a big shot?Or we're seeing that wide receiver come over
and spoiler, we've seen the highlighta million times against Oh no, they
heat for the football was way better, way better. You know What's crazy
though, most basketball guys that comeand make that trans transition in they're not
physical like and and if they are, you're thinking, well, they were
probably a power forward or something.Right right, I'm guessing your regard.

(04:21):
Okay, yeah one or two you'rea one okay guard? I can shoot
though, but now you're radially okay, so you're a one guard that can
shoot a little bit. But yeah, okay, Uh, where do you
think the physical play came from?Because a lot of again, if you
haven't done that your whole life,if you haven't played junior football and all
that, where did that the physicalplay? I mean, the first time
you pop somebody, is that it? Because that doesn't always come out all

(04:42):
the time. I Mean that's alwaysbeen who I am. When I'm just
ridly competitive about what I do.Yeah, like I said, always know
I was kind of unsize and everysport, so I mean I never really
you helped me back for doing anythingI want to do. So I mean
I'm just always been physical. Whatdo you know about the history since Pete
Carroll John Schneider being here? Aboutthe secondary in Seattle? About that,
I know a lot about that hasto be leading a boom man that was

(05:06):
probably dB a secondary to go downto history. So I mean you're a
young enough guy that I mean,it's been a few years since they were
here. But whether it be RichardSherman or Camp Chancellor Earl Thomas, which
of those guys. I mean,I mean you watch those guys a little
bit and so forth. As you'rewatching those guys, you know, coming
up a little bit and starting tobecome that type of player, do you

(05:26):
look at the camp Chance because Ithink it feels like you're a camp Chance.
We're playing cornerback. That's kind ofhow you want to put That's what
he described you as, Tory palmul So that's kind of to me,
your Camp Chances we're playing cornerback.Is that how you describe yourself? I
mean you can say that. Idon't really kind of describe myself and then
like I just go out there andplay football. Man, try to go
out there and b too, BASIevery day. So have you had a
chance talked to trek Will and yetnot yet? He damn me though,

(05:46):
so did he? Yeah? Whatdid he say? He said? He
told me congration and stuff like that, and he was like, my basis
kind of go through you to youlike you big time. I was like,
no, it's not like that.You the big time man. You've
been here already. So you've hada chance to meet with Pete Carroll,
John Schniderim and Pete specifically and guysthat have played for him. We see
guys coming back here all the time, uh, you know, like over

(06:08):
the years, I mean guys likeClafevrol and kJ Wright and Shreim's kind of
back around here. These guys comeback, they migrate back to this organization
and so forth. What is itabout Pete that that you think attracts players
to him? And what do youthink you're gonna get out of playing for
him? I mean, I thinkit's his mind. I mean, he's
so smart. He's a smart dude. So he's just like the way he
knows, the way he studied thegame about football, man, the way

(06:30):
he can break it down to you. Um, he's just amazing, Like
you can learn so much from him. And just I sacked his brains,
just pick pick it apart for real. Um. So that and I just
feel like the courser that he builtaround here man, I mean it's something
he probably want to want to leave. Um. So that's why I feel
like all the guys are coming back. It's just a culture. And you
you did you play against Jackson?H No, I ain't get his chance.
Yeah, I didn't get played,but I'm sure you saw him on

(06:50):
film. What do you think?Give me a scouting report? What?
What's what's the what's the scouting room? Say? One? Isn't that that
he can't do? Literally? Yeah, so you can. We could put
him anywhere on a few He's gonnamake places. Uh do they tell you
this is the weather every day?By the way? Uh? No,
oh no, it's not. Okay, it's well, I can tell you

(07:12):
this. It won't be human likePensacola. Right, all right? And
you're and Seattle's track record since Caroland Scheider came here pretty good with guys
from pennsyl Cola. There's a guythat we're number eighty nine here named Doug
Baldwin. I know you haven't methim, he talked about the last night,
but I'm sure you will at somepoint. Uh. Great, great
guy, and uh and listen,Welcome to Seattle. It's great to have
you here. Fans, I mean, once they saw your highlight tape,

(07:32):
they were excited beyond belief to haveyou here. And we're excited to have
you on the air today here forthe first time. So well, Welcome
to Seattle, and congratulations on beingthe number five pick in the twenty twenty
three NFL Draft. Appreciate it.Thank you.