Like father, not like son.
In 1999, cornerback Antoine Winfield entered the league as the 23rd pick in the draft. On Thursday night, Antoine Winfield Jr. was not selected in round one.
Some believe he should have been. Naysayers would say that the Big 10 defensive back of the year is too short. But at 5'9", he’s the same height as his father.
And Winfield Jr. looks to be every bit as good. He combines a rough-and-tumble, fearless approach to tackling with ball skills that allow him to force takeaways. Appearing last week on #PFTPM, Winfield identified his ability to generate turnovers as his top attribute.
“That’s the most important thing playing football, being able to give the offense the ball back gives you more opportunity to win,” Winfield Jr. said. “I feel like my ability to create takeaways is one of my biggest aspects to my game.”
The Vikings would be an intriguing destination for Winfield Jr., given that his father spent nine years with the franchise -- and in light of Winfield Jr. playing at the University of Minnesota. But the Vikings (who took a cornerback at No. 31) next select at No. 58; they’d likely need to spring up the board in order to snag Winfield.
Winfield Jr. also said on #PFTPM that the Patriots, Chiefs, Buccaneers, and Titans also have shown interest in him.