Philadelphia Eagles: 3 reasons drafting Antoine Winfield Jr. makes sense

1. Winfield’s numbers

Winfield doesn’t just possess physical and mental skills on the field, but the production is also there.

During the 2019 season, Winfield earned first-team All-American and Big Ten honors. He started 12 games and finished with 85 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and seven interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Winfield also returned a punt for a touchdown during his college career. All things considered, you really can’t ask for much more from a starting safety in the NFL.

At the NFL Combine, Winfield ran a 4.45 40-yard dash and reached a 36.0 inch vertical, which is impressive for a guy standing a five-foot-nine. Winfield received a 6.36 prosepct grade from Lance Zierlein, indicating that he’s projected to be a starter within his first two NFL seasons.

Winfield also provides versatility on defense, and can play in the single-high role. He can also play in the box as a strong safety, or slot corner since he has proven to be an effective with blitzing. The kid can do it all, to say the least.

In the biggest moments, Winfield came through for the Gophers, and he has all the tools you could ask for to be an effective safety in the NFL.

Winfield comes from a football background, has outstanding football IQ, plays with passion, has an athletic frame, and produces when he’s on the field. It is very possible that he’ll end up being a hidden gem in this draft.

If the Eagles ended up drafting Winfield this year, he wouldn’t feel the pressure of performing at a high level initially, and could grow into a starting role with.

If the opportunity presents itself for Roseman with Winfield during the draft, the Eagles should pull the trigger so they don’t miss out on a potential star of this caliber.