2. Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota
Height: 5’9″ Weight: 203
40-Yard Dash: 4.45 seconds
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 36.0 inches
Broad Jump: 124.0 inches
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: The son of former Bills and Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield, who played in the NFL for 14 seasons and made three Pro Bowls, Winfield Jr. grew up in Minnesota, but his family relocated to Texas after his dad’s retirement in 2013. There, Winfield Jr. worked his way up to three-star recruit status at The Woodlands High School in Houston. He received offers from Northwestern, Purdue, and Mississippi, but chose the offer from Minnesota as the best fit for him. Winfield missed all but eight total games in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, but bounced back with a vengeance in 2019, with 88 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, eight passes defensed, and seven interceptions.
Like father, like son? In many ways, yes.
“Man, pretty much everything,” Winfield told me when I asked him what he learned from his dad. “He started me off young, so at a young age, I was out there doing footwork drills with him, watching film and pretty much everything football-wise. I learned a lot from him.
“It comes from him, and from film study. Him teaching me how to watch film. When he was in the pros, we’d sit in the bedroom, and he’d be looking at film, and I’d be watching him breaking it down. Showing me what the receivers do and the route concepts and everything.”
Stat to Know: In addition to his seven interceptions last season, Winfield racked up two forced incompletions. He allowed 11 receptions on 22 targets all season, so opposing quarterbacks were generally in better shape throwing away from him as much as possible.
Strengths: Winfield is a run-and-chase deep third safety with the ability to diagnose routes and align coverages to his benefit. High-points potential catches with timed jumps; has the best ball skills in this safety class. Faster on the field than he runs in a straight line because he’s able to intuit what the offense is doing. Matches and trails naturally with receivers. Had the ability and responsibility to alter coverage pre-snap based on receiver alignment. Has outstanding closing speed, but is also confident enough to bait the quarterback and close in. Outstanding recall — will diagnose on the fly based on film study. Wrap tackler with a bigger thump than his size might indicate. Good delay blitzer who can slip through gaps from the box or from free safety. Had 18 run stops last season, so he’s not just a coverage guy.
Weaknesses: Injury history is a concern, but Winfield obviously played healthy in 2019 and his combine performance showed no ill effects of previous injuries. Aggressive to a fault at times when deciphering misdirection. Some teams may shy away from his size, but he’s perfectly capable of making (and preventing) plays with his intelligence and recovery quickness. Raw range isn’t outstanding, though Winfield mitigates this with his ability to shorten the distance between himself and the receiver with his on-field understanding.
Conclusion: Watching tape with Winfield was a fascinating exercise in how important shot-calling and diagnostic skills are to the modern free safety position. And though he has potential as a slot and box player, Winfield screams deep safety with his athletic profile. Moreover, he’s plug-and-play at that position. Take the size and range concerns and throw them out the window — Winfield should be a top-15 pick based on talent and positional value.
NFL Comparison: Earl Thomas. When Thomas came out of Texas in 2010 at 5-foot-10 and 208 pounds, there were people who thought he should move to cornerback because he didn’t fit the physical profile they wanted for the safety position. Thomas proved the doubters wrong with a formidable competitive demeanor and all the smarts you could ever want on the field. Not that Winfield projects to be Thomas in his prime — not yet, at least — but the different for Winfield between the tape and the doubts seem similar. As a pure deep safety, Winfield has no rival in this draft class, and he excels as a desperately needed position.