Scouting Profile: Kevin Winston Jr. - SAF - Penn State
Sales Pitch: Long explosive safety who thrives attacking downhill. Limited range and a lack of ball skills cap his ceiling but but a good combination of mental and physical tools indicate a future quality starter.
*Gold Numbers Indicate NCAA T-25 for 2024*
*Only played in 6 games in 2024*
Scouting Report
Kevin Winston Jr. is a former 4-star recruit from the state of Maryland. He was a two time captain in high school and also lettered in track and field. Winston was a pivotal player for Penn State in his sophomore season starting all thirteen games and leading the team in tackles. He only appeared in 2 games in his 2024 season - missing a majority of the season with a partially torn ACL - before declaring for the draft.
Winston is a tall explosive safety with excellent length for the position. He is at his best as a both a run and coverage defender, when attacking downhill, where his closing speed and instincts shine. He does an excellent job diagnosing plays as they unfold in from of him and plays with good leverage when fitting the run. He is a physical player who likes to take the fight to blockers and ball carriers when he runs the alley. Winston sports an impressive 2% missed tackle rate in his career due to sound technique and a massive tackling radius from his massive wingspan. His best coverage reps come in while playing the Robber role or in Cover-4. both of which ask him to attack targets in front of him. He is also a solid underneath defender in zone coverage where he can use his length to disrupt throwing lanes.
Winston is a bigger safety but his frame still needs to add mass if he intends to live in the box at the next level. His height also creates some stiffness in his hips, which limits his change of direction skills. This can cause him to be delayed getting out of his back pedal, reducing his range as a deep safety. Winston’s issues with lateral quickness hurt him in man coverage as well. He is able to carry TE’s from the line of scrimmage when he can use his size and length to disrupt their routes, but when tasked to carry TEs or WRs in squat or off man coverage he lacks the quickness to consistently stay attached. The biggest red flag on Winston’s report is his lack of ball production. His instincts and burst should lend to more production than the 1 INT and 3 PBUs he had in three years at Penn State. It’s the area of his game with the most questions marks, question marks that a strong 2024 year could have answered to improved his stock.
Winston profiles as a strong safety who spends a majority of his time in the box or the slot where he can impact the run game. He best fits as an underneath coverage defender who plays the boundary spot when rotated back deep, ideally for a team that runs a heavy amount of quarters coverage. Winston projects as a rotational nickel DB early in his career who can eventually become a quality starter at safety.