03-02-2020, 03:24 PM
Antoine Winfield Jr.'s Legacy Starts with Being Draft's Best Safety ProspectBrent Sobleski![[Image: hi-res-38b52d85965c45ef6e927e332362ba70_...crop_y=top]](https://img.bleacherreport.net/img/images/photos/003/855/283/hi-res-38b52d85965c45ef6e927e332362ba70_crop_north.jpg?h=533&w=800&q=70&crop_x=center&crop_y=top)
Michael Conroy/Associated PressAntoine Winfield Jr. is his own man, and right now, he's carving a path toward an NFL career as the best pure safety prospect in this year's draft class.
No matter where Winfield goes, the shadow of his father will always follow him. That's what happens when one enters the family business.
"I feel like every team I go to, people have either played with him or coached with him," Winfield told reporters during his media session at the NFL Scouting Combine. He's often told about "anything they remember about my dad."
Family legacies tend to create ripple effects. Either the child becomes overwhelmed and never lives up to the standard set by their parent, or the parent's success helps build a future for further familial achievements.
In Winfield's case, his father, who was one of the best all-around and certainly one of the most physical corners of his era, helped mold a hard worker and instilled a level of professionalism in his son most individuals don't reach until they're in the league for years.
"Watching him work hard throughout his career is what really taught me how to work hard," the 2019 Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year said. "I feel like that's a testament to me being here."
But Junior shouldn't be viewed in the same manner as Senior. Yes, a few similarities apparently run through the Winfields' genetic coding—and those will be discussed—but the younger Winfield enters the league at a different position without the same pedigree as his father.
Antoine Winfield Sr. came out of a pipeline program in Ohio State as an expected first-round pick despite his size limitations (5'9", 180 pounds). The 1999 draft entree won both the Jim Thorpe Award and Jack Tatum Trophy during his final year on campus.
The younger defensive back established himself as an elite defensive back after Sunday's combine performance, though his collegiate play should have had him there already. NFL talent evaluations can be a tricky business. But a significant concern persisted with Winfield's skill set.
"There have been a lot of questions about my speed," he said on Saturday. "So that's what I'm ready to prove a lot of people wrong with."
He certainly did.
Really, the incoming safety's skill set is a mixture of multiple defensive backs, and his father provided the foundation.
Earl Thomas III reset the standard for free safeties. Thomas ran a 4.43-second40-yard dash during the 2010 combine. Prior to his arrival, the NFL relied heavily on Cover 2 usage thanks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' success through the late 1990s and early 2000s. But the Seattle Seahawks had different plans. Pete Carroll brought an aggressive Cover 3 approach with Thomas serving as the eraser along the backline. He could make up for any mistake against the run or a deep pass thanks to his burst. Winfield Jr. displayed similar quickness with his 40-yard effort.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2878...ce=cnn.com&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_medium=referral
No matter where Winfield goes, the shadow of his father will always follow him. That's what happens when one enters the family business.
"I feel like every team I go to, people have either played with him or coached with him," Winfield told reporters during his media session at the NFL Scouting Combine. He's often told about "anything they remember about my dad."
Family legacies tend to create ripple effects. Either the child becomes overwhelmed and never lives up to the standard set by their parent, or the parent's success helps build a future for further familial achievements.
In Winfield's case, his father, who was one of the best all-around and certainly one of the most physical corners of his era, helped mold a hard worker and instilled a level of professionalism in his son most individuals don't reach until they're in the league for years.
"Watching him work hard throughout his career is what really taught me how to work hard," the 2019 Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year said. "I feel like that's a testament to me being here."
But Junior shouldn't be viewed in the same manner as Senior. Yes, a few similarities apparently run through the Winfields' genetic coding—and those will be discussed—but the younger Winfield enters the league at a different position without the same pedigree as his father.
Antoine Winfield Sr. came out of a pipeline program in Ohio State as an expected first-round pick despite his size limitations (5'9", 180 pounds). The 1999 draft entree won both the Jim Thorpe Award and Jack Tatum Trophy during his final year on campus.
The younger defensive back established himself as an elite defensive back after Sunday's combine performance, though his collegiate play should have had him there already. NFL talent evaluations can be a tricky business. But a significant concern persisted with Winfield's skill set.
"There have been a lot of questions about my speed," he said on Saturday. "So that's what I'm ready to prove a lot of people wrong with."
He certainly did.
The former Minnesota Gopher posted a 4.45-second 40-yard dash. The time is four-hundredths of a second slower than his father posted long ago, but that's inconsequential. The 2019 unanimous All-American answered any questions about his speed as a 203-pound safety. The time tied for third among safeties at this year's combine.
More importantly, Winfield's timed speed confirmed the sideline-to-sideline ability seen on film. While Senior excelled as a matchup corner, Junior's vision portends a true back-end field general. Really, the incoming safety's skill set is a mixture of multiple defensive backs, and his father provided the foundation.
Earl Thomas III reset the standard for free safeties. Thomas ran a 4.43-second40-yard dash during the 2010 combine. Prior to his arrival, the NFL relied heavily on Cover 2 usage thanks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' success through the late 1990s and early 2000s. But the Seattle Seahawks had different plans. Pete Carroll brought an aggressive Cover 3 approach with Thomas serving as the eraser along the backline. He could make up for any mistake against the run or a deep pass thanks to his burst. Winfield Jr. displayed similar quickness with his 40-yard effort.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2878...ce=cnn.com&utm_campaign=editorial&utm_medium=referral
