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I’m going to go on the defensive side of the ball and give the nod to Antoine Winfield. I gave Anthony Gonzalez serious consideration based on the catch against Michigan in 2005, but I just didn’t see enough to put him ahead of one of the all-time greats at DBU — er, BIA.
Winfield came to Ohio State and learned under another Buckeye great, cornerback Shawn Springs. But after Springs departed for the NFL, it didn’t take long for Winfield to make a name for himself.
He would become a two-time All-Big Ten selection, a first-team All-American in 1998, as well as becoming the first Buckeye in school history to take home the Thorpe Award for the nation’s most outstanding defensive back.
With the 23rd pick in the 1999, the Buffalo Bills select CB Antoine Winfield, Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/gLXwYLBvfW
— Dr. Super Bowl (@DrSuperBowl) February 14, 2019
Winfield ended up being drafted in the late first round of the 1999 NFL Draft and would go on to have an illustrious 14-year career with Buffalo and Minnesota as a shutdown corner. Some would even argue he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I tend to agree.