The Washington Commanders hosted a local pro day for NFL draft prospects, and a notable name appeared on the attendees’ list.
Star Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr was among the 34 prospects who attended the Commanders’ local pro day on Tuesday.
Winston Jr was a sure lock for the first round of the 2025 NFL draft before partially tearing his ACL in early September. The preseason All-American and team captain was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week in the first game for the Nittany Lions, and was headed for a monster final season in college. The 21-year-old is still listed as the fourth-best safety in the 2025 draft class by PFF, and a projected top 90 pick in the draft.
Kevin Winston Jr. pushed through and recovered from his ACL injury to run a 4.45-4.50 40-yard dash at Penn State’s pro day recently, which is beyond impressive given his 6-foot-2, 215-lb frame and knee injury. The stud safety is also on schedule to be fully cleared to play by training camp.
The 2024 film was cut short for Winston, but the 2023 resume shows that the former Nittany Lion is an elite safety that a team will be getting a steal on at an injury discount. Winston Jr. is a franchise-caliber safety who can line up as a strong safety in the box and in deep coverage. Kevin finished 2023 as the fourth-highest graded safety in the country with an 89.2 overall grade and the highest graded tackler at safety with a 92.8 grade, and he only missed two tackles in his career. Don’t let the tackle numbers lead you to think that Winston Jr. is only a run stopper, because he also finished 2023 with an 86.8 coverage grade to go with it, making him one of the more polished and complete safeties in the country.
Kevin Winston Jr. is the perfect secondary replacement for Jeremy Chinn, who was the tone-setting defensive back that the Commanders lost to the Raiders in free agency. As a team captain for a very talented Penn State team, a sure tackler, and an athletic freak who can cover sideline-to-sideline, Winston Jr should be in play for the Commanders at pick 61 in the draft.