Antoine Winfield Jr.


Antoine Duane Winfield Jr. is an American football safety for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He played college football at Minnesota, and was drafted by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He is the son of former NFL cornerback Antoine Winfield Sr.

Early years

Winfield Jr. attended The Woodlands High School in The Woodlands, Texas, where he was a three-year letterer and two-year starting safety, in addition to being the team's kick returner alongside future NFL player Patrick Carr. As a senior, he totaled 87 tackles, five forced fumbles, and one interception, and was named the Montgomery County Player of the Year. Winfield was considered a three-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN.com and as a two-star recruit by Rivals.com, accepting a scholarship from Minnesota over offers from Baylor, Eastern Michigan, Houston, Lamar, Missouri, South Florida, and Texas State, among others.

College career

As a true freshman at Minnesota in 2016, Winfield Jr. played in 12 games and made nine starts. During the season, he had 52 tackles, one interception and one fumble recovered for a touchdown. He played in the first four games in 2017 before suffering an injury that caused him to miss the rest of the season. He finished the season with 20 tackles and a sack. Winfield Jr. again played in only four games in 2018, recording 17 tackles and an interception. He returned from the injuries in 2019 and was named a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. After being named a first team all American and Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year during the 2019 season, Winfield announced that he would forgo his final 2 years of eligibility and declared for the 2020 NFL Draft.

Professional career

Winfield was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 45th pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Personal life

His father, Antoine Winfield, played in the NFL for fourteen seasons with the Buffalo Bills and the Minnesota Vikings. Antoine Jr., was born in Columbus, Ohio while his father attended Ohio State University. Antoine's mother Erniece Winfield also attended Ohio State.