Possible Safety Option in Phins Draft

Will the Phins pick their multipurpose safety in this draft?

A few months ago Phins Head Coach Brian Flores was asked to name his all-time favorite player? His answer was three-time Pro Bowl, 14-year veteran Antoine Winfield Sr., who played for the Bills and Vikings. Flores loved the way he played the game: tough, focused, and team-first.

This was likely how Flores envisioned Minkah Fitzpatrick to be…

… before he took over the team.

Interestingly, Minnesota Gopher Antoine Winfield Jr. is in the 2020 NFL Draft. Considering Flores’s love of Winfield Sr. and the release of long time Safety Reshad Jones, could Winfield Jr. be on the Phins radar?

Antoine Winfield Jr. is expected to be a 2nd Day pick

Last year Minnesota finished 1st in the Big Ten West with an excellent 11-2 record and were ranked team for much of the year. This was impressive because Minnesota is not typically a team that gets national ranking recognition. One of the primary reasons why Minnesota did so well last year was because of their opportunistic defense led by Safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

Winfield Jr. was a ball-hawking gamechanger last season with 7 interceptions. The rest of his game was just as good with 85 tackles, 3 sacks, and a pass deflection. To go along with great instincts and a knack for making big plays, Winfield Jr. is fearless at the line of scrimmage and excellent making open-field tackles. The biggest knock against him is his size with a height of just 5’9”. But, he helped offset this weakness at the Combine with a very fast 40-yard time of 4.45.

PFF has this take on Winfield Jr. “He was average at best in coverage in his true freshman season in 2016 by producing a 67.2 coverage grade; the two medical redshirt seasons then followed before Winfield came back with a vengeance in 2019. He raised his coverage grade to 89.2, which was one of the best in the country. He allowed just 11 catches on his 401 coverage snaps while totaling eight combined pass breakups and interceptions. Winfield has excellent instincts at the safety position.”

Winfield Jr. offers big value on Day 2 of the draft

Even though Winfield Jr. isn’t the most physically gifted safety in the draft, he has an NFL pedigree, gritty blue-collar work ethic, and elite production. These are all traits that Coach Flores loves in his players.  

Draft analysts have Winfield Jr ranked at around the 6th best Safety and projected to go somewhere between the 2nd to 4th round. However, the best bookie software by AcePerHead.com has Xavier McKinney of Alabama as the favorite at -250 to be the first safety selected. They have Grant Delpit of LSU at even money and Antoine Winfield Jr as the third at +200. So, the money men consider Winfield Jr. as the third-best safety in the draft. This projection would have Winfield Jr. coming off the boards early in the 2nd Round, which might be too early for the Phins to take him. But, maybe he drops into a more palatable slot?

Winfield Jr is certainly the type of player that Coach Flores likes in his locker room and on the field. Also, he fits a big need in the Phins secondary with both Jones and Fitzpatrick gone. Given his potential as a playmaking safety for years to come, Phins fans should keep Winfield Jr. in the back of their mind come Draft Day.  

What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins News fans’ thoughts of selecting Winfield Jr in the upcoming draft? 


 

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8 comments

  • Steve
    April 1, 2020 at 3:12 am

    Some of the Top- Safeties in the country as of August 24 2019 like always many have moved up and down the draft since then. (Problem is not to over reached).

    1. Grant Delpit LSU Tigers (https://youtu.be/1UbDTFlYMcs (1st rounder)
    2. J.R Reed ( https://youtu.be/Qy9x7RPGZ8U
    3. Caden Sterns Texas Longhorns (https://youtu.be/yF2ifHtueSk)
    4. Andre Cisco Syracuse Orange (https://youtu.be/wrlmStdMgLU
    5. Richie Grant UCF Knights (https://youtu.be/mVvYoJs0-xg
    6. Xavier McKinney Alabama Crimson Tide (https://youtu.be/8ye6GFLtlyM (1st to 2nd rounder)
    7. Jordan Fuller Ohio State Buckeyes (https://youtu.be/eHref0Jt6sk)
    8. Jalen Elliott (https://youtu.be/VByWvd6vKNo
    8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (https://youtu.be/OMmcEgRyD5E
    9. Greg Eisworth Iowa State Cyclones ( Greg Eisworth Iowa State Cyclones
    10. Brandon Jones Texas Longhorns (https://youtu.be/q5txsrM4j8A)
    11. Jaylinn Hawkins California Golden Bears (https://youtu.be/BIoTzYG2VSM)
    12. Jaiden Lars-Woodbey Florida State Seminoles (https://youtu.be/_AxBeIymEuQ)
    13. Jevon Holland Oregon Ducks (https://youtu.be/xVlmd0tIL8g?t=6)
    14. Damar Hamlin Pittsburgh Panthers (https://youtu.be/E6KSXwtTcqk) Hard hitter aggressive
    15. James Wiggins Cincinnati Bearcats https://youtu.be/YGQgS8PGW14
    16. Marcelino Ball Indiana Hoosiers (https://youtu.be/pnYRxh-35sc)
    17. Julian Blackmon Utah Utes(https://youtu.be/DIXyK5WFsYA
    18. Reggie Floyd Virginia Tech Hokies (https://youtu.be/OV61SZl2JB0)
    19. Tariq Thompson San Diego State Aztecs (Projected to be undrafted.)https://youtu.be/yvrLQzswDuc

  • Steve
    March 30, 2020 at 2:27 am

    Admin

    I’ve study Antoine last season and he will be a nice picked up for someone. I thought his size and more so him staying healthy were my concerns. Just the questioned about health eliminates all players from the dolphins 1st five picks.

    Antoine Winfield Jr. Minnesota
    2 to 5th rounder
    Player Summary – Antoine Winfield Jr. brings an established NFL pedigree to the 2020 NFL Draft. His father’s exploits clearly left an impression on Winfield Jr. — he’s an instinctive player who illustrates a clear feel for the game on the back end. As a deep safety, Winfield Jr. is best in half field coverages but he brings man to man coverage skills against tight ends and is a viable fill defender in the box to step down against the run. He’s not an elite athlete but his instincts and discipline will net him splash plays.Antoine Winfield Junior, Minnesota: The undefeated Gophers owe a lot of thanks to the playmaking ability of their redshirt sophomore safety. After years of battling through injuries, Antoine Winfield Junior has been outstanding this year. The 5’10” defender has excellent range, ball skills and can even lay the hit. If he remains healthy, he could play his way into high draft consideration this year.
    Key Stat: Four interceptions this year.

    https://youtu.be/IOPOaGipRlM
    https://youtu.be/zJuNY6XdRUw

    Standard for 1st to 2nd round safety:

    Safety
    Grant Delpit, LSU: In terms of non-defensive linemen, Grant Delpit is the highest impact defender in the country. The 6’3” junior plays all over the LSU defense and makes a positive impact wherever he lines up. Delpit is a hard hitter, a great coverage safety and an all-around playmaker. Safeties don’t tend to get drafted very high but Delpit looks like an exception with how dominant he has been the last two years.
    Key Stat: In the last 20 games, Delpit has six interceptions, 12 PBUs, five sacks, 11 TFLs and a forced fumble.

    • admin
      March 31, 2020 at 2:03 pm

      Jimmy brought him to my attention… I didn’t even notice the connection. I’m looking into him now. Seems pretty good… has that honey badger stature… but, he makes it work in the NFL, so I don’t see that as a negative.

      • Steve
        April 1, 2020 at 5:31 am

        I agree he will play on Sunday’s. I thought of Ronde Barber Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Ronde Barber didn’t mind moving from cornerback to safety, cornerback for his 15 seasons in the NFL, has played safety for Tampa Bay.