Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll on rookie Devon Witherspoon's big night: 'This is why we took him'

Having been slowed at the start of his rookie season due to a hamstring injury, Devon Witherspoon is most certainly back at full speed. 

The 2023 No. 5 overall pick soared to a 97-yard touchdown return off his first career interception to highlight the Seattle Seahawks' 24-3 thumping of the New York Giants on Monday night. 

On a banner evening for the Seahawks defense as a whole, Witherspoon's individual efforts glowed, and so too did his head coach. 

"I never thought he wouldn't play like this," said Seattle head coach Pete Carroll on Witherspoon, who became the first rookie since Nick Bosa in 2019 to record two or more sacks and an interception in a game, per NFL Research. "This is the why we took him. To be active and to show that he gets this game of football, and it comes easy to him. He's an explosive, dynamic player. We got to put him at nickel for the first time. This was a process, getting him back out there. We didn't have enough time, we thought, to have him ready, although he's been working at it the whole time. He did a great job tonight, and you can see why we like him there."

Witherspoon was all over the field and the stat line, posting seven tackles, two of the Seahawks' franchise-tying 11 sacks and four QB pressures. It was the pick-six that left the largest mark on the night, expunging a Giants drive that ventured to the Seahawks 5-yard line and threatened to make it a one-possession game. Instead, Witherspoon went 97 yards the other way and solidified a prime-time rout.

Witherspoon reached a top speed of 20.25 mph on the return, per Next Gen Stats, weaving across the field to pay dirt. He was accompanied by a convoy of teammates, Julian Love and Tariq Woolen, the latter reaching 22.25 mph as a blocker