Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Antoine Winfield Jr. a defensive star in the making

Antoine Winfield Jr. is an exciting defensive playmaker who landed in a perfect spot with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Obviously, any time you are able to add the best quarterback in the history of the NFL, it has been a good offseason, but for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, adding Tom Brady was only the start. This has been an absolutely fantastic offseason for Tampa Bay and they now need to be considered among the favorites in the NFC for the 2020 season.

It wasn’t just signing Brady and bringing Rob Gronkowski to place on an already talented team. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also absolutely crushed the 2020 NFL Draft.

It began with the selection of offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs in the first round. Wirfs is an athletic freak on the offensive line who shows an incredible combination of quickness and raw power. Being able to add Wirfs in the first round allowed the Bucs to immediately fill their biggest need on the roster, the right tackle position.

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As strong as the Wirfs pick was, it was their second-round selection of Antoine Winfield Jr. that really stood out to me. Winfield is an incredibly active and aggressive safety prospect who shines as an in-the-box defender. He works through traffic well and shows incredible closing speed when working downhill against the run.

Winfield is also an impressive coverage player who can handle most running backs, tight ends and slot receivers in man-to-man coverage. He shows an impressive combination of quickness and physicality in coverage and will be a weapon against difficult to defend players in the middle of the field at the next level. He also shows an impressive combination of range and ball skills that gives him plenty of playmaking ability as a deep safety.

More than anything, Winfield is just a tremendous playmaker. This guy has an incredible nose for the ball and is going always going to put his body on the line to make a play. Winfield was going to be successful no matter where he ended up at the next level, but landing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was absolutely perfect for him.

In Tampa, Winfield will be coached by Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Bowles runs an extremely aggressive defensive scheme that allows players to roam around the field and make plays. He has typically gets the most out of players from the safety position, particularly if that player can fill a variety of roles. Winfield is an incredibly versatile and aggressive defender who is going to fit this defense perfectly.

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There is a path to immediate playing time for Winfield and Bowles is the absolutely perfect coach to get the most of his abilities. Do not be surprised if Winfield makes a run at the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. This guy is a defensive star waiting to happen.

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