From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr.
No. 2/21 Kevin Winston Jr./S Penn State – 6-2, 208 pounds. (Junior)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Kevin Winston Jr. | 6-2/208 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
– Impressive athletic ability
– Good play strength and positive contact balance
– Amazing run defender
– Aggressive in run fits
– Uses good eyes in deep zone to recognize plays
– Seeks contact in order to fit his gap
– Great tackler
– Great hustle until the whistle blows
– Sheds blocks well
– Quick breaks coming back to the ball
– Rangy athlete who covers ground quickly and has good long speed
– Good communicator who responds to motion very well
– High-motor hard worker
The Bad
– Needs to improve match-coverage technique
– Needs to stay with receivers through crowded areas of the field
– Needs to improve ball skills
– Can fall for play-action fakes
– Fails to get hands on receivers in man and zone coverage
– Lacks physicality in coverage
– Needs to have aggressive hands in press coverage
– Feet are static in press and off-man coverage
– Medical concerns
Bio
– Started 15 games and appeared in 27 across three seasons at Penn State
– Only played in the first two games in 2024 and was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of the season after suffering a partially torn ACL
– In two games, he recorded 13 tackles and a forced fumble
– Following his performance against West Virginia, he was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week
– 2023: 61 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 5 PBUs, and 1 interception
– 2022: 16 tackles and 1 TFL
– Appeared on special teams as well
– Four-star prospect out of DeMatha Catholic High School
– Ranked the No. 5 player in Maryland (247Sports)
– Two-time team captain and two-time team MVP
– Named the All-Met State Defensive Player of the Year as a senior
– Also competed in track
– Winston’s father and namesake is a principal at Washington Jesuit School, and education was paramount in his upbringing
Tape Breakdown
Kevin Winston Jr. is a high-flying safety who is a great run defender due to his aggressiveness and tackling ability. He identifies run plays quickly and flies to the ball until the whistle is blown. He uses his good speed to hunt down the ball carrier like a hawk and has a vice-grip tackle and does not allow the rusher to break free. He does a great job of locating the ball carrier, breaking down under control, and securing a tackle. His ability to shed blocks is also very impressive, as shown here when fitting the run versus a wide receiver.
He has the composure in his footwork to come down from his deep safety position and make plays behind the line of scrimmage and can be used a lot in blitz packages. He can play in the box because of his aggressive nature or as a deep safety due to his secure tackling to limit explosives. On this play, Winston (No. 21) is the alley player, and he flies up to make a tackle for loss. Using his strong lower body drive, he is not affected by the stiff arm.
Winston’s willingness to stop the run will be a positive for any secondary and will make him at least an adequate player in the NFL.
Winston has a lot of special teams value as well. His long speed, block-shedding ability, and secure-tackling technique will make him a surefire starter on kickoff and punt teams. He communicates very well with his teammates and is a natural leader on the field.
As a pass defender, Winston has some work to do. While he displays great aggressiveness defending the run, it does not translate to his pass coverage. In order to affect receivers’ running routes, defensive backs need to get their hands on them to affect their path, but Winston fails to do that.
It is alarming because of how different his physicality looks when defending the run versus guarding someone in man coverage, or even when someone enters his zone. He has the athletic ability to survive in coverage; he just needs to work heavily on his mindset and technique, which hinder his ability to be an immediate impact at the next level. On this play, he fails to get hands on Harold Fannin Jr, allows for a free release and an explosive play down the field.
In catch-man coverage, his feet become static, and he can get beat down the field. Winston needs to work on being light on his feet and be willing to get hands on receivers to affect their routes. He can also be seen on tape letting his assignment run free across the middle of the field in man coverage, which is unacceptable. It sometimes feels like there are two different players on the field depending on what play the offense is running. While I really like his ability to defend the run from the box, I think teams will take advantage of his negative pass-coverage ability and pick on him if he lines up near the line of scrimmage.
While Winston has issues in pass coverage in the low and intermediate parts of the field, he does a good job of attacking from a deep zone. I like his ability to get depth as a deep third, and he will make sure nothing gets past him due to his athleticism and tackling ability. He also has the ability to make splash plays, such as this forced fumble coming from a deep middle third.
He has a quick break back to the ball, and on this corner blitz he does a good job of filling space, identifying the play, and making a good tackle.
I think Winston has the ability to survive in the NFL as a deep safety but will struggle defending receivers or tight ends in man coverage, which puts him in a very specific role at the next level.
Conclusion
Kevin Winston Jr. is one of the best run-defending defensive backs in this class, but his struggles in intermediate pass coverage lower his chances to make an immediate impact in the NFL. He will need to work on his down-the-field physicality and technique in man coverage to be an every-down starter, but his amazing ability defending the run will helps his defense a lot. Winston’s partially torn ACL will lower his draft stock, and how he comes back from that will determine the player he will be in the coming years. My comp for him is John Johnson.
Projection: Mid-Late Day 2
Depot Draft Grade: 8.3MED – Second Round (Future Quality Starter)
Games Watched: at West Virginia (2024), vs Bowling Green (2024), at Ohio State (2023), at Maryland (2023)
