Death to Google Ads! Texans Talk Tip Jar! 🍺😎👍
Thanks for your support!

Brian Witherspoon (CB) 4.25-4.30 speed

Hottoddie

Hottoddie

Veteran
I stumbled upon this kid while looking for late round CB's & was amazed by his speed. He's got good size & the write up on him isn't bad either. He's out of Stillman College (where ever that is). With that kind of speed, he should be able to stick with any CB in the league. Even if he can't cut it as a CB in the NFL, just imagine a FS with that kind of speed roaming around in the secondary. Anyone know anything about him?

http://condraft.com/database/division-ii/stillman-college/brian-witherspoon/index.html

Overview

Productive small college phenom who may be one of the fastest players available for the 2008 NFL draft. Stillman College is one of the better DII programs around, and their players are usually well coached.

Strengths

Decent size. Great athleticism and timed speed. Will pop you. Flexible hips. Turns and goes. Blankets receivers at this level. Nose for the ball. Good hands for the pick.

Weaknesses

Level of competition concerns are a major negative. Has not faced many elite receivers. Needs to be given time to develop at the next level--a luxury most teams are not willing to grant

Projection

All depends on whether or not he gets enough exposure in the post-season. Samford's Cortland Finnegan had a bit more to work with, but not all that much...so, DII defensive backs from the south DO occasionally have a shot...
 
The more I look, the faster this guy gets. I've found several sites that indicate he runs a 4.2 Forty. He's run track & has run sub 10.5 (10.34?) 100 meters. Here's a link with several small school DB's you might want to check out.

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=jm-smalldbs120707&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Brian Witherspoon, Stillman (Ala.) – Witherspoon has been timed at 4.22 in the 40-yard dash. He was his team's primary return specialist. Some scouts wonder if he can use his straight-line speed as a productive defensive player. He will get an extended evaluation in the postseason to see if his 40 times are legitimate and how much progress he can make with his technique as a cover corner.
 
He is a late round project/undrafted FA right now. I mean he has not faced any real competition and he is a track guy.
Right now I see him as a potential KR/PR. If he is gonna make it as a CB he needs to play that level competition and nothign I have read about him suggests he will be ready anytime soon(or ever).
Speed is only one part of the job of a corner. Leaping ability, good hands, and solid play are also important. I mean think about this: Justin Gatlin was the fastest man in the world and he is 6'1 185 and he couldnt make it past an NFL tryout and I am sure that Gatlin has better speed than Witherspoon.
 
awtysst said:
He is a late round project/undrafted FA right now. I mean he has not faced any real competition and he is a track guy.
Right now I see him as a potential KR/PR. If he is gonna make it as a CB he needs to play that level competition and nothign I have read about him suggests he will be ready anytime soon(or ever).
Speed is only one part of the job of a corner. Leaping ability, good hands, and solid play are also important. I mean think about this: Justin Gatlin was the fastest man in the world and he is 6'1 185 and he couldnt make it past an NFL tryout and I am sure that Gatlin has better speed than Witherspoon.
Click to expand...

Did you even read the write up?

Decent size. Great athleticism and timed speed. Will pop you. Flexible hips. Turns and goes. Blankets receivers at this level. Nose for the ball. Good hands for the pick.
Click to expand...

While he hasn't played top level D1 competition, I wouldn't just dismiss him matter-of-factly on that note alone. According to the write up I posted & several others I've read, he has dominated his competition at the D2 level & has had quite a few NFL scouts watching him. He's at least worth a good long look.
 
Hottoddie said:
Did you even read the write up?



While he hasn't played top level D1 competition, I wouldn't just dismiss him matter-of-factly on that note alone. According to the write up I posted & several others I've read, he has dominated his competition at the D2 level & has had quite a few NFL scouts watching him. He's at least worth a good long look.
Click to expand...

Yeah I did read the writeup but it is all in comparison to D2 players. His fluid hips, blanketing receiver skills, nose for the ball, and good hands has all been against D2 talent. Should he get a chance to play ball, he will not face many D2 receivers. There is a reason he played ball where he did. Perhaps he was a late bloomer, if so kudos to him. The point is simply this, when we evaluate talent we ask whom did he face. When he did not face the best talent available, one must ask questions and thats what I did. That was my point and I firmly stand behind it.

However, I did not summarily dismiss him, I just wanted to temper some expectations and also to not lead people to think that this guy is our solution to CB. He isnt. He might be better than Faggins, but is not ready to start from Day 1 by any stretch of the imagination.
 
awtysst said:
He is a late round project/undrafted FA right now. I mean he has not faced any real competition and he is a track guy.
Right now I see him as a potential KR/PR. If he is gonna make it as a CB he needs to play that level competition and nothign I have read about him suggests he will be ready anytime soon(or ever).
Speed is only one part of the job of a corner. Leaping ability, good hands, and solid play are also important. I mean think about this: Justin Gatlin was the fastest man in the world and he is 6'1 185 and he couldnt make it past an NFL tryout and I am sure that Gatlin has better speed than Witherspoon.
Click to expand...

How big is he ?

I think Dwight Lowerey has the biggest thighs I've seen on a guy...perportionaly since earl Campble. TBS, it's a good thing because he played tonight like he thought he'd get his femine napkin in a wad if he hit anyone. The thighs hid the FN from public veiw.
 
awtysst said:
Yeah I did read the writeup but it is all in comparison to D2 players. His fluid hips, blanketing receiver skills, nose for the ball, and good hands has all been against D2 talent. Should he get a chance to play ball, he will not face many D2 receivers. There is a reason he played ball where he did. Perhaps he was a late bloomer, if so kudos to him. The point is simply this, when we evaluate talent we ask whom did he face. When he did not face the best talent available, one must ask questions and thats what I did. That was my point and I firmly stand behind it.

However, I did not summarily dismiss him, I just wanted to temper some expectations and also to not lead people to think that this guy is our solution to CB. He isnt. He might be better than Faggins, but is not ready to start from Day 1 by any stretch of the imagination.
Click to expand...

I agree with what you're saying, but no where in this thread has anyone said he'd start from day one, just that he's an intriguing talent. There aren't any CB's with that kind of speed & it makes for an interesting discussion of what he could be capable of.

By the way, how do you know "he is not ready to start from day 1 by any stretch of the imagination"? Are you not doing just the opposite of what you're trying to temper others from doing, by making an assumption in that statement? :shades:
 
Hottoddie said:
I agree with what you're saying, but no where in this thread has anyone said he'd start from day one, just that he's an intriguing talent. There aren't any CB's with that kind of speed & it makes for an interesting discussion of what he could be capable of.

By the way, how do you know "he is not ready to start from day 1 by any stretch of the imagination"? Are you not doing just the opposite of what you're trying to temper others from doing, by making an assumption in that statement? :shades:
Click to expand...

Point taken.

You are a good draft prognosticator and your reputation as a good evaluator of talent precedes you. I was just throwing it out in case someone who doesn't follow the draft as closely saw you were praising this guy and then started thinking we didn't need to spend a higher draft pick(or look in FA) for another CB and believed this guy was good to go from day 1.

My point was that this guy looks like an interesting prospect, but we should cannot expect him to fill in immediately. I mean he could turn into a real steal but I envision him as a raw and unpolished. If we draft him, fine, but we must not assume he is the real deal either.
 
awtysst said:
You are a good draft prognosticator and your reputation as a good evaluator of talent precedes you.
Click to expand...

Hehe, now you're giving me way too much credit. But, thanks for the compliment.

awtysst said:
My point was that this guy looks like an interesting prospect, but we should cannot expect him to fill in immediately. I mean he could turn into a real steal but I envision him as a raw and unpolished. If we draft him, fine, but we must not assume he is the real deal either.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I would assume we wouldn't even consider him until the 5th round, or even later. If he does truely have most of the skills that are being reported, I would think he could play FS rather quickly. It all depends upon how football smart he is.

This kind of speed at the CB position makes me think about Deion Sanders. As much as I hated him, he could stick with any player in the game. His only true weakness was his disdain for hitting, or getting hit. I still get a good laugh when I remember the play where he went for an ankle tackle on Larry Centers & Larry just jumped over him & took off for a long run. That was classic.
 
http://www.gbnreport.com/index.htm

Well, the kid has surfaced again. He does need to put on about 10-12 lbs. though.

March 14

Pro day updates… Maybe the most interesting story coming out of the on-campus workouts this week was the performance of little-known Stillman CB Brian Witherspoon who worked out at the Alabama pro day earlier this week. The 5-10, 178-pound Witherspoon ran the 40 in just over 4.3 seconds, posted a 40--inch vertical jump, and timed out in 4.36 seconds in the short shuttle and 6.86 seconds in the cone drill. Both Witherspoon’s times in the 40 and the con drill would have been among the leaders at the position at the combine. In fact, some of the Tide players could have used a bit of a speed infusion from Witherspoon.
 
Yep. This guy has been on my list. Great athletiscm, he just does not play ball as well as the numbers would say. I would still grab him in the 7th. You cant teach that speed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top