Antoine Winfield, Jr. is an intriguing draft prospect for the KC Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs have shown interest in one of the hottest safety prospects in this year’s NFL Draft class: Antoine Winfield, Jr.

The Kansas City Chiefs know very well how helpful it is to have someone on the roster whose father was a professional athlete. That’s not to say that every son of an athlete will turn out to, say, win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award, but it can’t hurt to have such elite skills hardwired into the bloodlines of a particular player. That likely bodes well for the pro career of Antoine Winfield, Jr.

Just as Patrick Mahomes has been helped by growing up in the world of professional sports, the son of Antoine Winfield looks poised to follow in his father’s impressive footsteps as he stands on the precipice of being selected in the 2020 NFL Draft.

As a refresher, Winfield enjoyed such a long career that he only retired six years ago—an incredible side note considering his son is now entering the league before the same decade is over. Winfield’s 14 year career with the Seattle Seahawks and Buffalo Bills featured three Pro Bowl seasons, 27 career interceptions, including two more in the playoffs, 7.5 sacks, and 14 forced fumbles.

Winfield Jr. was a stud at the University of Minnesota who truly broke out this last season with a head-turning 7 interceptions in the Big Ten. He was an instant starter as a true freshman and made an immediate impact for the Gophers defense, including an 82-yard interception return for a touchdown on the road at Maryland. He ended his career as a first-team All-American.

In terms of pro potential, Draft Wire’s Justin Melo notes that the Kansas City Chiefs are among several teams who have held online interviews with Winfield in their limited pre-draft activities (thanks, coronavirus). Other teams showing similar interest include the Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals, and Atlanta Falcons.

Winfield has taken some licks on scouting reports for not having the top-tier speed or athleticism of others, but the game tape shows a player who more than makes up for it with instincts and intelligence. Winfield rarely makes mistakes and positions himself well to either tackle the ball-handler or make a play on the ball. He’s also capable of doing pretty much anything defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo would ask of him playing near or at the line of scrimmage.

The downside here is Winfield’s injury history and this is a real concern. For a Chiefs team with limited draft picks, can they really invest one in a player who played only four games apiece in his second season (hamstring) or third season (foot). He returned for all of last year, but if Winfield comes up injury-prone at the pro level, that would be a frustrating high-level investment for the Chiefs. Just recall how frustrating it was to ask the same questions of Dee Ford so often for a reminder.

Pairing Winfield with Tyrann Mathieu and Juan Thornhill long-term would give the Chiefs an incredible secondary with plenty of weapons to aid confusion for a quarterback. Given the ability of Mathieu and Winfield to also step up in slot coverage or to take on tight ends or spy a running back, the Chiefs corners would face less pressure as well.