Antoine Winfield Jr. NFL Draft 2020: Scouting Report for the Buccaneers' Pick

S Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota

STRENGTHS

—Second-generation NFL prospect who is a Swiss army knife in the secondary; can play in the slot, over the top or walked up to set the edge against the run.

—A ball-hawking playmaker who should have won the Thorpe Award after grabbing seven interceptions in 2019.

—An old-school football player with a love and hunger for the game; plays like his hair is on fire.

—Smart and instinctive; finds his way around the football and is always making a play whether it's an interception, pass breakup or key tackle.

—Awesome timing to jump routes and get between the ball and the receiver; timing is perfect on his jumps.

—Reads routes well and plays like he's read the offense's playbook.

—Team captain with four years of starting experience.

Antoine Winfield Jr. Highlights

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WEAKNESSES

—Somewhat undersized at 5'9" and 203 lbs.

—Injuries plagued his career early on; had to take medical redshirts in 2017 and 2018.

—Doesn't have the length you'd want and doesn't look like he played at 200 lbs despite weighing in at that size.

—Not the best open-field tackler and will allow big runners to bounce off his pads.

OVERALL

When you see a player like Antoine Winfield Jr., you end up feeling that the only way he doesn't become a successful NFL safety is if injury strikes. Winfield is smart, fluid, instinctive and tough. Even if he doesn't reach his high ceiling, it's hard to imagine that he won't be a solid NFL safety for a long time.

GRADE: 86

PRO COMPARISON: Tyrann Mathieu/Quandre Diggs