Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rookie expectations vs. performance

Antoine Winfield Jr.

Expectations

Antoine Winfield Jr. was very similar to Tristan Wirfs in his pre-draft and preseason status. Many people expected these players to be good, but there were supposed to be players that would play at a higher level within the position group.

Tampa Bay made the smart decision to draft Winfield while passing on a running back, and in retrospect, Bucs fans should be able to recognize that this was one of the most intelligent decisions of the offseason.

Winfield somehow fell to the second round, and the Buccaneers had no option to take a chance on the extremely talented safety from Minnesota. Based on his draft-status, Winfield was expected to take over the starting job at some point during the preseason or early on into the year.

Production

Again, like Wirfs, Winfield has far exceeded his initial expectations. Everyone knew that Winfield would be talented, but outplaying Chase Young in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race was not on the 2020 bingo card.

Winfield has played lights-out this season and has displayed a level of depth that the Buccaneer secondary desperately needed. The rookie safety has created pressure on the quarterback, broken up passes, and caused turnovers, and Winfield has been a significant contributor on one of the best defenses in the NFL.