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Improving Ahkello Witherspoon faces toughest test yet

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© Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports


SANTA CLARA — The “sophomore slump” theme has applied to several 49ers defensive players this year. Many of its young, exciting pieces have either regressed or plateaued to begin the season.

That includes Ahkello Witherspoon. The second-year cornerback spent the offseason adding muscle and working out with some of the NFL’s best at an exclusive cornerback summit organized by his new teammate, Richard Sherman. Witherspoon was widely expected to make the jump from budding star to star in year No. 2.

It did not start that way.

Witherspoon suffered an ankle injury in Week 1 that hampered him throughout the following month. His play regressed. Witherspoon was routinely picked on by opposing offenses, the worst of which came in Week 2. The Detroit Lions almost exclusively targeted Witherspoon as they launched a second-half comeback that nearly resulted in a win. Witherspoon was benched for a drive.

Witherspoon’s next three games did not yield noticeable progression. Then, in Week 6, he was benched entirely. He did not log a defensive snap. And to make matters worse, he suffered a concussion on the final play of the game, as he tried blocking the kick that ultimately gave the Green Bay Packers the win as time expired.

“Mentally, being able to play with that clear mind, that aggressive approach, it was kind of difficult,” Witherspoon told KNBR Friday.

While the numbers did not back it up, Witherspoon felt he rebounded in Week 3 at Kansas City. He replaced Sherman in the lineup as he sat out with a heel injury. Witherspoon mirrored Sherman’s style by playing press coverage and upping his aggression.

“That’s the direction my game was going, and I am glad it happened at an accelerated pace with the circumstances,” Witherspoon said. “That’s where I found my success. Just going out there and playing, being aggressive. That’s how I like to play the game — play it on the edge.”

49ers coaches have seen Witherspoon’s improvement more recently.

Saleh saw it in Week 5. He identified a couple impressive plays to Witherspoon that he should use as a template moving forward. Witherspoon was back to using his length and physicality to bother opposing receivers.

Shanahan was more recently impressed with Witherspoon in San Francisco’s 39-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7.

“Hopefully, that’ll continue to trend that way so he can get back to the level of last year and more,” Shanahan said.

That has been the case throughout the past two weeks.

In Weeks 8 and 9, Witherspoon allowed seven catches on 10 targets, but he regularly disrupted his assigned receiver at the line of scrimmage. Quarterbacks, consequently, have looked the other way. For the first time all year, Sherman was targeted consistently in Week 8, allowing four catches on seven targets for 81 yards.

Witherspoon’s biggest test awaits Monday night when Odell Beckham Jr. and the New York Giants visit the 49ers. Beckham Jr. will move all around the field, but it’s likely he will line up across Witherspoon a fair share.

Everyone knows about Beckham’s superior athleticism and sticky hands. What Witherspoon admires most is Beckham’s footwork and speed out of breaks. Witherspoon says he will be focused on closing and driving on Beckham “because he can run away.”

The 23-year-old welcomes the challenge.

“Whenever you have the opportunity to go against the best, it’s exciting as a competitor,” Witherspoon said.

Two weeks ago, Sherman said a sophomore slump can be a “slippery slope.” Early struggles can magnify as the season progresses.

“You just got to try to catch a hold of it before it happens,” Sherman said.

Witherspoon appears to have done that. His upcoming matchup with Beckham will provide a measuring stick.

“Right now, Ahkello has got tremendous focus and is spending all of his energy on recapturing what he had his rookie year,” Saleh said Friday. “His strength at the line of scrimmage, his aggressiveness, his mindset is what has been helping him through these last four games. We are starting to see what we saw last year.”