Hogs Haven takes a look at 2025 NFL Draft prospects that could contribute to the Commanders
Kevin Winston, Jr., S
School: Penn State | Conference: Big Ten
College Experience: Junior | Age: 21
Height / Weight: 6’2” / 201 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 3rd-4th Round
Player Comparison: Talanoa Hufanga
College Statistics
| Tackles | Def Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Solo | Ast | Comb | TFL | Sk | Int | Yds | Avg | IntTD | PD | FR | Yds | FRTD | FF | Awards |
| 2022* | Penn State | Big Ten | FR | S | 12 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023* | Penn State | Big Ten | SO | S | 13 | 34 | 27 | 61 | 3 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2024* | Penn State | Big Ten | JR | S | 3 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Career | 28 | 53 | 37 | 90 | 4 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||
Player Overview
Homegrown talent Kevin Winston, Jr. is from Columbia, Maryland, and played his high school football at DeMatha. During his time there, he was a two-time captain, a two-time team MVP, and the All-Met State Defensive Player of the Year in 2021. This led to offers from multiple schools, including Maryland, but Winston chose to take his talents to Penn State. Winston got on the field early in 2022, playing in 12 games as a true freshman. That experience helped him put together a stellar sophomore campaign. He earned All-Big Ten honors after leading Penn State in tackles in 2023. A lot was expected of Winston’s junior season, but a partially-torn ACL in the second game of the season sidelined him for the remainder of the year.
Strengths
- Good size with long arms
- Quick to recognize and react to plays
- Takes good angles to gets to ball carriers
- Solid zone coverage where he can keep the play in front of him
- Length helps him make sure tackles
Weaknesses
- Face guards in man coverage
- Tight hips make change of direction difficult
- Rarely asked to cover deep
- Limited ball production
- Recovering from partially-torn ACL
Let’s See His Work
I’m lower on Penn State S Kevin Winston Jr. than consensus. He’s a big physical athlete, and has nice linear explosiveness. Also a very good open field tackler.
My issues are he’s very tight in his pedal, hurts COD/impact in deep zone… limited as short zone/robber defender. pic.twitter.com/LFcZL5YUl6
— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) January 2, 2025
Penn State Safety Kevin Winston Jr last season:
90.6 Run Defense Grade
86.8 Coverage GradeONLY Safety with 85+ Grades in both categories pic.twitter.com/DpdoemdFyB
— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 28, 2024
How He Fits on the Commanders
The Commanders got good play from the safety duo of Quan Martin and Jeremy Chinn, with Chinn having a particularly productive season. With him being a free agent this offseason, there is a question of whether he’ll be back next season. Darrick Forrest Jr, who moved into a reserve role this season behind Chinn, will also be a free agent. Tyler Owens and Dominique Hampton might be able to step into their shoes, but they saw the field very little on defense this year.
Kevin Winston, Jr. has a lot of the things teams look for in a strong safety. He is quick to come downhill and make a play and you don’t have to worry about him making it because he doesn’t miss tackles. This is a big plus in run defense. While he isn’t a single-high free safety, he has the athleticism to get anywhere on the field no matter where he’s aligned. Winston will likely struggle if asked to cover man-to-man often, but he’s competitive and will win his fair share of matchups. He will have to fully recover before he can make his mark for a team. A lot will hinge on what the Commanders do in free agency, but Kevin Winston, Jr.’s play could help improve a weakness for the team.