2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Kevin Winston, Jr.

Strengths

• Run Stopping Extraordinaire: Winston Jr.'s tape pops when he's asked to crash the box in run support. He's only missed one tackle in his career, and his understanding of run fits has developed far beyond his years.
• Frame and Athleticism: At 6'2", Winston Jr. is a long-strider who can quickly cover a lot of ground and develop into a tight end eraser at the NFL level.
• Football IQ: He displays excellent play recognition at the snap, rotates well in coverage, and anticipates routes in man coverage.

Weaknesses

• Health: He missed most of 2024 with a torn ACL, which will lower his stock. Due to the injury, he could not participate in any NFL Combine testing.
• Inexperience / Instincts: Still working to understand the motion of the game before it happens. Occasionally plays reactionary rather than attacking a spot before the play develops, most noticeably in zone coverage.
• Zone Coverage Instincts: Winston's inexperience largely shows up in his zone coverage. He tends to lose himself in spacing and leave passing lanes open for easy completions.

Final Thoughts and Chicago Bears Fit for Kevin Winston Jr.

It's a shame we were robbed of a year of development for Kevin Winston Jr., who many had pegged as a potential first-round pick this time last year. Though the ACL injury muddies the waters, it's far from the debilitating black mark it was 15 or 20 years ago. Despite losing a year of refinement, namely in coverage, there is still plenty of good tape from 2023 and early 2024 to showcase Winston's ability as one of the most talented safeties out of this year's draft class. His upside is exceptionally high.

I doubt Winston lasts until the Third Round, but if the Bears move into the back half of round 2, he'd be a tremendous mid-to-late second-round selection. The most sure-tackler of this year's safety class, Winston also has the potential to develop into the tight-end eraser that Malcolm Jenkins was for Dennis Allen in New Orleans.

Watching Winston's tape, I found it challenging not to draw parallels to 2024 draft prospect Kitan Oladapo out of Oregon State. Like Oladapo, Winston's play speed as a run defender is elite; however, the cracks appear in zone coverage. That said, Winston's football IQ and savvy are a few tiers above Oladipo's as a prospect.

Winston will be on many teams' draft boards solely based on his frame and run-stopping ability. However, due to his relative lack of experience at the collegiate level, his progression in coverage will be the lynchpin concerning his ceiling in the NFL.

Pro Comp: Kitan Oladapo