Bengals held pre-draft meeting with Antoine Winfield Jr.

The Bengals held a pre-draft meeting with Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

The Bengals revamped their secondary in free agency, but that doesn’t mean they won’t add another cornerback or safety in the NFL Draft. 

The Bengals were one of the teams that had a FaceTime meeting with Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr. according to Justin Melo of The Draft Wire.

Winfield was a first-team Associated Press All-American and first-team All-Big Ten selection as a senior. He led Minnesota with 88 tackles and seven interceptions in 2019 after missing most of his sophomore and junior seasons with hamstring and foot injuries, respectively. Winfield bounced back to play in all 13 games last season.

He is the son of three-time Pro Bowler Antoine Winfield, who spent 14 seasons in the NFL for the Vikings and Bills.

The Bengals have made plenty of changes in their secondary this offseason. They signed Vonn Bell, Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander. They also released Dre Kirkpatrick. Is there room for Winfield?

His versatility could be useful in Cincinnati. He played all over the field for the Golden Gophers last season.

Winfield showed off his athleticism at the NFL Combine. He ran a 4.45 40-yard dash, posted a 36” vertical and a 124” broad jump.

Winfield has drawn comparisons to two-time Pro Bowler T.J. Ward.

Winfield should be on the board when the Bengals are picking in the second round, but he might not be there in round three when they’re on the clock with the No. 65 pick. He’s expected to be a day two selection and his versatility will be attractive to a lot of teams, including Cincinnati.


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James Rapien
JAMES RAPIEN

James Rapien is the publisher of Bengals On SI. He's also the host of the Locked on Bengals podcast and Cincinnati Bengals Talk on YouTube. The Cincinnati native also wrote a book about the history of the Cincinnati Bengals called Enter The Jungle. Prior to joining Bengals On SI, Rapien worked at 700 WLW and ESPN 1530 in Cincinnati