Rookie plans on med school after NFL
Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon wants to attend medical school and become a surgeon after his career, which sounds like the type of dream that will die if he exits the NFL with a fat bank account.
After all, the desire to study for years and endure intense training can be dulled for those who can afford to, well, do absolutely nothing.
Given that, Witherspoon, a third-round pick of the 49ers from Sacramento, was politely challenged about his post-NFL plans. What if he has a 12-year career? Still heading to medical school, young man?
“It’s regardless,” Witherspoon said. “Med school is happening no doubt, whether it’s a year (in the NFL) or 12. It’s just my passion.”
And perhaps it’s best not to doubt Witherspoon: The man of many interests has proven he’s not the do-nothing type.
Just six years ago, Witherspoon had not played football, but he was so skilled at soccer, basketball and baseball that he might have landed a Division I scholarship in each sport. He’s also a strong drummer and singer, had a 4.4 GPA at Christian Brothers High in Sacramento and studied ecology and evolutionary biology at Colorado.
In fact, he was so good at so many things growing up that he heard a familiar refrain: He’d never be great at anything.
“That’s one thing that kind of always resonated with me,” Witherspoon said. “I thought about it and thought, ‘No, I can try to be great at everything I do.’ ”
The 49ers have reason to believe Witherspoon has potential for greatness. They picked him No. 66 overall because he possesses the size (6-foot-3, 190 pounds) and skill to excel in a scheme that requires cornerbacks to play suffocating man-to-man defense against hulking receivers.
Last year, Witherspoon led the nation in pass-breakups (22) thanks to traits he later showcased at the combine: He had the highest vertical jump (405⁄8 inches) and longest wingspan (793⁄8) among cornerbacks.
He credits his success in a sport he took up after a high school growth spurt — he was 4-11 as a freshman — to the sports he played before football. In fact, Witherspoon is a poster boy for those who don’t believe young athletes should specialize in one sport.
He credits his footwork and body awareness to his soccer background, his ability to track the football to his work as a center fielder and his lateral quickness to basketball.
“I think all those sports have (influenced) where I am as a football player,” Witherspoon said.
One thing he didn’t learn in soccer, baseball or basketball: how to slam his body into other bodies.
Last year, Witherspoon had just two more tackles (24) than pass break-ups and his tackling was routinely viewed harshly by draft analysts. Offered NFL.com: “Almost
“Med school is happening no doubt, whether it’s a year (in the NFL) or 12. It’s just my passion.” Ahkello Witherspoon, 49ers rookie cornerback
always in a state of retreat when run heads his way. Unwilling to step downhill and stick his nose in to help contain the edge.”
General manager John Lynch, who played 15 years in the NFL as a hard-hitting safety, was direct when Witherspoon visited the 49ers before the draft. Lynch showed Witherspoon video, said the some of the passivity on display bothered him and asked Witherspoon to explain why he wasn’t more aggressive.
Witherspoon, not surprisingly, recalled the exchange with the nine-time Pro Bowler and four-time Hall of Fame finalist.
“It’s just experience,” Witherspoon said. “He pulled up clips of me doing it well and doing it poorly. And (he said), ‘This is what’s encouraging to me. It’s not like a fear thing. You are willing to do it.’ ”
Witherspoon’s ability to improve his tackling could determine whether he receives significant playing time as a rookie. The 49ers drafted him partly because their two starting cornerbacks from 2016 are no longer their starting cornerbacks. Tramaine Brock was released in April after his arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence and Jimmie Ward has been moved to safety.
Before the draft, NFL teams often asked Witherspoon about his zest for football. The questions could have been influenced by his tackling issues and interests that include a “passion” for attending medical school. That is, how long will he stay committed to a sport that can exact a significant physical toll when he clearly has other options?
There is a franchise precedent: Former 49ers tight end John Frank retired in 1988, at 26, to attended medical school.
Lynch, a Stanford alum who knows there is a perception smart players lack commitment, posed hard questions to Witherspoon and was satisfied with his answers.
For his part, Witherspoon says he’s focused on his challenging journey that will precede medical school: moving from good to great.
“That’s kind of one of the reasons I keep grinding every day,” he said. “My fuel is I’m interested to see how good I can be … and I think we can take this to a very special place.”