Is Antoine Winfield Jr. worth the Carolina Panthers’ second round pick?
By Dean Jones
The Carolina Panthers could be on the lookout for a young safety in this year’s NFL Draft, with Antoine Winfield Jr. warranting consideration.
Safety is a position that the Carolina Panthers could be looking to strengthen in the 2020 NFL Draft. Antoine Winfield Jr. represents a player with significant upside and someone that has the potential to be a real force at the next level.
The Panthers released Eric Reid just one-year into his new deal with the franchise. They did extend Tre Boston on a three-year deal worth $18 million and Juston Burris was also brought in on a two-year, $8 million contract.
This gives Carolina two starting options in the short-term. But they will need to look at another fresh face that can bring youthful exuberance and aggression that was sorely missing in the secondary last term.
The former Minnesota Golden Gopher lit it up at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine after enjoying a prolific college career that has him locked to go in the first two rounds later this month. Winfield Jr. recorded seven interceptions, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and 85 total tackles in 2019 from the safety position.
There are a lot of similarities between Winfield and his father, Antoine Sr., who was an enormously influential figure during his time with the Minnesota Vikings. Being around an NFL player growing up has clearly had a positive effect on the young prospect.
He is an instinctive player who has a real knack for getting around the ball on passing downs. Winfield is also a hard hitter who has no trouble coming up to assist in run schemes.
He might not be the best athlete available in this year’s draft. But Winfield is NFL ready right now and he is the sort of character that Panthers head coach Matt Rhule is going to love if he ends up with the franchise.