In the NFL Draft, teams often look for guys who are finished products rather than players who will take some seasoning to get to their ceiling, but sometimes injuries may cause a player to slide a little bit. Today’s report looks at a day 1 ready safety from Penn State who’s out with an injury currently, Kevin Winston Jr.
Hailing from Columbia, MD, Kevin was a 3 star athlete as rated by 247 sports. He was a two time team captain and track star in high school, so his leadership qualities and athletic ability were on display from an early start prior to enrolling at Penn State.
His first season as a true freshman saw him record 16 tackles over 12 games, but there were glimpses of the player he could be. His next season saw those flashes turn into a full on lightning bolt: 60 tackles, 5 pass deflections and 1 interception as well as 2 fumble recoveries while starting all 13 games for the Nittany Lions.
His 2024 season started very well, with a 12 tackle and 1 forced fumble game versus West Virginia, but was injured early in the matchup versus Bowling Green and he has not played since September. The real question we ask today, does the tape match the player’s skill set? Let’s dive in and found out:
Player Info
Name: Kevin Winston Jr
Jersey: No. 2
Position: Safety
School: Penn State
Class: Junior
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 205 lbs.
Kevin Winston Jr’s Strengths
Kevin is one of the best tacklers at safety, both in terms of overall technique and in terms of hard hitting and wrap up ability. He is also an explosive downhill thumper in the run game, but also has the athletic ability to work sideline to sideline as a safety.
Kevin is very instinctual in coverage, and has the ability to affect the receivers timing in press coverage situations. He also possesses good tracking ability and natural ball skills in pass coverage situations, as well as fluid hips and a smooth backpedal to be able to turn and run with some of the best receivers in the big ten.
Kevin Winston Jr’s Weaknesses
Kevin does have a tendency to be too handsy downfield in coverage situations; a lot of this stems from him needing to refine his techniques in pass coverage, which will be a key at the next level. He does need to improve his pad level at the next level, as he can sometimes play too high and give up unnecessary leverage in his run defense.
Kevin is also slightly overaggressive in certain situations, leading to missed tackles or overruns when chasing down defenders. In addition, his “long-term” injury as defined by his head coach leaves questions on what type of injury and when he will be ready moving forward.
Draft Projection
Kevin is one of my top 5 safeties in this class, and currently is firmly within my top 50 players in this class. Teams could look to select him around the end of round 1 or at the top of round 2, which is the grade I have for him currently.
Some NFL Franchises who should take a long look at adding Kevin to their defensive backfield:
- Arizona Cardinals (With Budda Baker in the final year of his deal, Coach Gannon should be looking to get younger and cheaper in his defensive backfield, as well as get a future star on defense. Kevin checks both boxes.)
- Indianapolis Colts (This Indianapolis Pass defense is in need of some serious help on the back end, and a talent like Kevin will immediately raise the floor and ceiling of Gus Bradley’s defense, as well as give a future building block for this Colts squad.)
- New York Jets (The safety position was a weakness for the Jets coming into the 2024 season and it did not get any better as the season moved on. I fully expect the Jets to attack the safety position early, and a stud like Kevin will immediately strike fear into AFC East offensive coordinators, especially with a guy like Sauce Gardner at cornerback with Kevin.)
Any team that selects Kevin Winston Jr will need to do their due diligence on his injury, and ensure that it won’t lead to any future issues. They would also be getting a budding star in their secondary, especially when fully healthy as well.
My comparison for Kevin Winston Jr: Malcolm Jenkins, S, New Orleans Saints/Philadelphia Eagles
