2020 NFL Draft: Could Minnesota's Antoine Winfield surprise as first safety picked?

There are two clear betting favorites on the William Hill sportsbook NFL Draft props to be the first safety off the board later this month: Alabama's Xavier McKinney at -188 and LSU's Grant Delpit at +130. They are both given a first-round grade via the CBS Sports Big Board. Minnesota's Antoine Winfield Jr., meanwhile, is ranked as the No. 54 overall prospect on the Big Board and is a +1000 longer shot to be the first safety picked.

Might it happen? Likely not.

PJ Fleck's Golden Gophers were one of the biggest surprises in the 2019 college football season. They started 9-0 and had a chance to reach the Big Ten title game for the first time but lost at home to Wisconsin in the regular-season finale. Minnesota finished 11-2 (school's most wins since 1904) with a 31-24 upset of Auburn in the Outback Bowl.

Winfield was an anchor of that Gophers' defense. As a redshirt sophomore, the son of former Ohio State and NFL standout defensive back Antoine Winfield Sr. led the team with 88 tackles (62 solo) to go with 3.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He tied a school single-season record with seven interceptions (fourth in the country).

In an upset of Penn State, Winfield was named both the National and Big Ten Player of the Week with 11 tackles and two picks, one returned for a score. Winfield was a unanimous All-American, Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year and a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy that was won by Ohio State's Chase Young.

Why isn't Winfield ranked higher on the CBS Big Board? He's rather short at 5-foot-9, the shortest of any safety at the Combine. He also measured at 203 pounds and ran a 4.45 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine (third-fastest among safeties) with a vertical of 36 inches.

NFL.com gives Winfield a grade of 6.36, which equates to "will be a starter within first two seasons" and compares him to T.J. Ward, who was a 2010 second-round pick by Cleveland.

NFL pick: No on first safety picked.