Antoine Winfield Jr.
The Chicago Bears are without a first-round pick again this year, so they likely won’t have a shot at landing Grant Delpit or Xavier McKinney. They do have two second-round picks in the upcoming draft and could potentially use one of them on their safety of the future. However, based on Pace’s track record, the earliest he’s taken a safety in the draft was Jackson in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Here’s to breaking tradition.
Antoine Winfield Jr. was a standout safety at the University of Minnesota. Injuries limited him to just four games in both 2017 and 2018, but he was a unanimous All-American last season. He primarily played at free safety during his time on campus, but he’s shown he’s capable of playing in multiple places.
*Media via Big Ten Network (Youtube)
As a true freshman in 2016, Winfield played in 12 games, including nine starts, and tallied 52 tackles, including 2.5 for loss. He returned his lone interception 82 yards for a touchdown while also deflecting three passes.
Last year, he started all 13 games and led the team with 83 tackles, including 3.5 for loss. He tallied three sacks, seven interceptions, and a pass deflection. For his efforts, he was named the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and is projected to be a second-round pick.