Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota
Listed at 5-foot-9, 203 pounds Antoine Winfield Jr. is the son of former pro-bowl corner, Antoine Winfield, Sr.
Winfield Jr. is a four-year sophomore who suffered back-to-back season ending injuries in 2017 and 2018, but bounced back this year to have an All-American season. Winfield Jr. plays with range and attacks the ball in the air. He has below average height and length but posses good ball skills and sees it and reacts quickly. He is a good tackler who plays with physicality when he arrives at the ball carrier. Winfield Jr. could be a option at No. 51 if he were to last that long but the Cowboys might have to make a slight jump to go get him.
Winfield Jr. finished up his final college season with 83 tackles, three sacks, seven interceptions, one touchdown, one pass defended, and two forced fumbles.
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Winfield isn’t as tall or as long as teams like and he’s an average athlete, but he’s an interchangeable safety who can flat out play. Winfield is stout and strong with above average body control and balance. He can bang on tight ends in coverage and support the run near the box. His angles to the ball are efficient against the run or pass. He’s very instinctive and sees plays unfold, but doesn’t have ballhawking twitch to challenge a high number of throws. His tackle net isn’t as wide in the open field, so he must tackle with excellent fundamentals. Winfield isn’t a star but he’s a quality building block with the toughness and intelligence to help fortify the back end.
Antoine Winfield Jr. brings an established NFL pedigree to the 2020 NFL Draft. His father’s exploits clearly left an impression on Winfield Jr. — he’s an instinctive player who illustrates a clear feel for the game on the back end. As a deep safety, Winfield Jr. is best in half field coverages but he brings man to man coverage skills against tight ends and is a viable fill defender in the box to step down against the run. He’s not an elite athlete but his instincts and discipline will net him splash plays.