2020 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Antoine Winfield Jr.

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Antoine Winfield Jr., 5-9/203 Safety Minnesota

Antoine Winfield Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Instinctive

Tremendous coverage safety

Can play single high free safety

Very fast; covers a lot of ground

Excellent ball skills

Good hands

Plays the ball well

Good vision

Doesn’t take false steps in coverage

Disciplined on the back end

Willing to get physical

Solid tackler

Keeps plays in front of him

Steady at covering receivers over the top

Man-coverage ability on slot receivers

Fluid; can flip his hips and run

Always around the ball

NFL pedigree

Experienced

Weaknesses:

Short

Will struggle with receivers and tight ends making catches over him

Can get boxed out

Can get pushed around

Free safety only

Doesn’t fit as the eighth man in the box

Not interchangeable to play free or strong safety

Summary: Being the son of a player who had a good NFL career can bring a lot of expectations and pressure. Antoine Winfield played 14 NFL seasons after being a first-round pick out of Ohio State. His son, Antoine Winfield Jr., was able to live up to the hype during the course of his playing career at Minnesota. After some solid years, Winfield had a massive 2019 campaign in which he totaled 85 tackles with seven interceptions, three sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass broken up. Winfield then had a very good workout at the NFL Scouting Combine, including a 4.45-second time in the 40-yard dash.

In pass coverage, Winfield is a dangerous play-maker who has good instincts and covers a lot of ground on the back end. He is a true ballhawk who is a threat to create turnovers for his defense. Winfield plays the ball well and shows very good field vision. He is a disciplined defender on the back end who doesn’t take false steps in coverage. With his speed, Winfield is a rangy safety who can get from the middle of the field to the sideline and is able to pick up speed receivers downfield.

Winfield is a willing tackler in the ground game, and there are times when he dishes out some hits that are surprising for a defender of his size. Winfield shows nice technique as a tackler and wraps up ball-carriers. As a pro, he will not have the size to be the eighth man in the box and take on big backs. He should be a free safety who lines up downfield.

On top of being a potential starting safety, Winfield could be a core special teams player who also contributes as a returner.

For the next level, Winfield could be a starting free safety. He has great tape and is a pure football player who has superb instincts. The big issue for him is being a short for a defender. He is going to have issues with pro receivers and tight ends making catches over him, boxing him out, and pushing him around. Because of the size issue, Winfield probably will slip to the second day of the 2020 NFL Draft, according to team sources. They see him as a late second-round or third-round pick.



Player Comparison: Karl Joseph. Winfield is a good player like Joseph, and both of them have problems being 5-foot-9. Joseph is more physical, while Winfield is better in coverage. In the NFL, Winfield could be a solid contributor like Joseph but has size limitations.

2020 NFL Draft Scouting Reports - Choose Player 2020 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Trey Adams, OT, Washington Brandon Aiyuk, WR, Arizona State Cam Akers, RB, Florida State Bradley Anae, DE, Utah Damon Arnette, CB, Ohio State Zack Baun, LB, Wisconsin Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville Tyler Biadasz, C, Wisconsin Ross Blacklock, DT, TCU Jordyn Brooks, ILB, Texas Tech Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn Joe Burrow, QB, LSU K'Lavon Chaisson, DE, LSU Jeremy Chinn, S, Southern Illinois Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame Nick Coe, DE, Auburn Lloyd Cushenberry, C, LSU Cameron Dantzler, CB, Mississippi State Marlon Davidson, DE, Auburn Ashtyn Davis, S, California Raekwon Davis, DT, Alabama Grant Delpit, S, LSU Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama A.J. Dillon, RB, Boston College Kyle Dugger, S, Lenoir-Rhyne Troy Dye, LB, Oregon J.K. Dobbins, RB, Ohio State Jacob Eason, QB, Washington Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, LSU Jordan Elliott, DT, Missouri A.J. Epenesa, DE, Iowa Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU Neville Gallimore, DT, Oklahoma Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU Jon Greenard, DE, Florida Yetur Gross-Matos, DE, Penn State Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson Darnay Holmes, CB, UCLA Robert Hunt, G, La.-Lafayette Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn Austin Jackson, OT, USC Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah Josh Jones, OT, Houston Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma Walker Little, OT, Stanford Jordan Love, QB, Utah State Justin Madubuike, DT, Texas A&M Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama Zack Moss, RB, Utah Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma Jeff Okudah, CB, Ohio State Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Missouri Patrick Queen, LB, LSU Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU Henry Ruggs, WR, Alabama Cesar Ruiz, C, Michigan Laviska Shenault, WR, Colorado Isaiah Simmons, LB, Clemson Trey Smith, OT, Tennessee D'Andre Swift, RB, Georgia Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia Adam Trautman, TE, Dayton Prince Tega Wanogho, OT, Auburn Jedrick Wills, OT, Alabama Isaiah Wilson, OT, Georgia Antoine Winfield Jr., S, Minnesota Tristan Wirfs, OT, Iowa Chase Young, DE, Ohio State

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