Every NFL defense wants versatile, dynamic playmakers who can make big things happen all over the field, against both the run and the pass.
One of the most versatile defensive weapons in the 2020 NFL Draft class? Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield, Jr., who can immediately transform any NFL defense upon his arrival.
Winfield recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about his impressive career with the Golden Gophers, growing up with a Pro Bowler for a dad, and what kind of player he’ll be at the next level.
JM: You made the Academic All-Big Ten team three years in a row. You were a unanimous All-American in 2019. You also made the All-Big Ten 1st Team in 2019. What comes to mind when I read off those accolades?
AWJR: What a great year 2019 was for me. That’s what comes to mind. I think of my entire collegiate career when I hear those honors. I think of the hard work that went into it all. I had such a good time at The University of Minnesota. My time there prepared me for what’s next. It helped mold the man that I am today. It was a great college career.
JM: You leave Minnesota with nine career interceptions, seven of which came in 2019. Why did your production take such a big step forward this past season?
AWJR: I spent a lot more time in the film room. I started creating more turnovers in practice. Creating good habits is so important. If you do it in practice, you’ll do it in a game. I spent a lot of time around the ball in practice. Things were just clicking for me. My goal in practice was to create one takeaway a day. You can see how that attitude translated to my on-field play. My practice habits deserve all the credit for the takeaways I created in 2019.
JM: How do you look back on your time at Minnesota?
AWJR: I had a great four years at Minnesota. We went through a coaching change during my time there. Once we adjusted to the new staff, it was all smooth sailing. We kinda took off from there. I look back at my time there very fondly.
JM: Another thing that changed for you this past season was your health. You had some frustrating injuries that cost you part of both the 2017 and 2018 seasons. You played in 13 games in 2019. Did you make a change in your routine, or did you simply have better luck in the injury department?
AWJR: It’s football, you’re gonna get injured. In my eyes, there’s a 100 percent chance that you’re gonna get injured at some point. It’s unfortunate, but it’s gonna happen eventually. It’s a physical game. For me, I just tried to make sure that I was doing a great job of taking care of my body in 2019. I stayed behind a lot and did extra treatment. Even if I didn’t have anything nagging me, I just made sure I was staying ahead of things and receiving the proper treatments to stay healthy. I feel like all of the extra treatment I did this year really paid off.
JM: You spent some time returning punts at Minnesota. Is that something that you hope to continue at the next level?
AWJR: Yeah, I would love to continue returning punts at the next level. I love returning punts. Anything that gets the ball in my hands and gives me a chance to make a big play, I’m all for that.
JM: What was your experience like at the NFL Scouting Combine?
AWJR: It was a great experience. I’ve been dreaming about going to the combine since I was a little kid. It was amazing to finally live out that life-long dream. Every year, I sat down in front of my television and watched the combine for as long as I can remember. To finally go through that experience was awesome. I met so many great athletes and NFL coaches out there. I really enjoyed meeting and speaking with personnel members from the different organizations. It was just a great overall experience. Not everybody gets a chance to go to the combine. I was blessed to receive an invite.
JM: Taking every aspect of the combine into account, what do you think is the overall impression you left out there?
AWJR: I hope that I left the impression that I’m a solid young man who’s excited to come in and make a difference for whichever team decides to draft me. My goal is to make an impact from day one. I hope all 32 teams left with that impression of me.
JM: What’s your favorite part about playing the safety position?
AWJR: I love playing in the middle of the field. You can see everything that’s going on from that vantage point. I feel like I’m the quarterback of the defense when I’m roaming the middle of the field.
JM: What can you tell me about the scheme that Minnesota ran on defense? What did your coaches ask of you?
AWJR: We ran a 4-3 defense. For me personally, I played a versatile role in our defense. I would come down and play the linebacker position sometimes. I played safety, I played a little nickel as well. I played pretty much everywhere. I’m a versatile player that can handle a lot. I’m very thankful for how I was used at Minnesota. They played me everywhere and I enjoyed it. I appreciate my defensive coordinator Joseph Rossi for putting me in such a great position to make plays. He really looked out for me. He played me in a role that allowed my versatility to shine at every spot on the defense.
JM: You had a huge impact on both the passing game and the running game. Do you have a preference there?
AWJR: No, not at all. I don’t have a preference. I love making an impact in both phases.
JM: When playing in coverage, do you approach a smaller, shiftier receiver differently than you do a bigger, more physical one?
AWJR: Yeah, I definitely approach them differently. It depends on what my opponent excels at. If I’m covering a faster, quicker receiver, I would probably play off him a little bit. That’s how we covered those guys at Minnesota. If you have a bigger, slower guy, you can press him a little bit more. I’d be up close and personal with him. It really depends on the opponent and what his strengths are.
JM: Were you able to get any private visits or workouts in before COVID-19 pulled everybody off the road?
AWJR: COVID-19 shut everything down. Our pro day was canceled. I didn’t get a chance to have any face-to-face interactions with anybody once the virus really started to make it’s impact. The only thing I’ve been doing is meeting with teams through FaceTime, telephone and any other video conference call applications. I wasn’t able to make any physical visits.
JM: Which teams have you met with via FaceTime and what not?
AWJR: I’ve met with the Bears, Falcons, Titans, Bengals and Chiefs. Those are the ones I can recall off the top of my head.
JM: What was the strangest question you were asked at the combine?
AWJR: One question that threw me off while I was in the middle of an interview, one of their personnel members asked me if I liked using Instagram (laughs). That was pretty funny because we were right in the middle of getting into some deep football conversations and he just randomly threw that question out there. It just seemed kinda random. We got back to football right after that. That’s the only question that kinda threw me for a loop, more so because of it’s randomness.
JM: I imagine your pretty tired of dealing with the “undersized” label. How do you respond when someone brings that up?
AWJR: I don’t look at that in a negative way. It doesn’t bother me. I was born the way I was supposed to be born. Height doesn’t matter in football. You can either play the game or you can’t. It doesn’t matter how tall or short you are. I’ve never really given it much thought to be honest.
JM: Your father, Antoine Winfield, Sr., was both a terrific collegiate player, and an excellent NFL player. What’s the biggest lesson he’s ever taught you?
AWJR: He always taught me to be myself. We share the same name so he really motivated me to separate from the name and be myself. He taught me to create my own identity. He never pushed me towards football. Not one time. He told me if I didn’t wanna play football, don’t do it. I decided to play because I love the game. That’s the best piece of advice he’s ever given me. He always taught me to be unique.
JM: What’s your favorite way to demoralize your opponent?
AWJR: There’s no better feeling than creating turnovers. Taking the ball away and getting it back for our offense is my favorite thing to do. That in itself is demoralizing for the opposing team. That’s my favorite thing to do.
JM: When a team uses a draft pick on Antoine Winfield, Jr., what kind of guy are they getting?
AWJR: They’re getting a guy that’s gonna come in from Day 1 and transform the defense. I’m gonna make us more versatile, and I’m gonna create turnovers for us. I’m all about creating takeaways. I’m gonna embrace a leadership role on the back end of our defense.
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