Round 2, Pick 39: Chase Winovich, EDGE, Michigan
One of the most underappreciated players in this draft is Michigan pass rusher Chase Winovich, who feels less risky than his college teammate Rashan Gary, who is expected to hear his name called in the top-ten tonight. While Winovich is not as athletic as Gary, he out-produced him by a country mile and tested as much more athletic than people expected him to.
Entering the draft process, Winovich was pegged as a guy who shows up on tape by working harder than the person across from him, but does not have the athletic ability to compete at the next level; he proved everyone wrong at the combine.
At 6’3½ and 256 pounds, Winovich ran a sub-4.6 second 40 yard dash, with a sub-seven second 3-cone drill, making him a prime candidate as an edge rusher with a great combination of size and agility. His explosiveness does not test off the charts, hitting just 30.5 inches on his vertical jump and 9’8 feet on his broad jump, however.
In three years as a starter for the Wolverines, Winovich tallied 18.5 total sacks and 43 tackles for loss. Looking to stay as risk averse as possible in this year’s draft, the Buccaneers use their second round pick on the steady Winovich.