Tennessee drafts Penn State's Kevin Winston Jr. in 3rd round

When speaking last week in discussing safeties available in the draft, the NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah observed that the knee injury suffered by Penn State’s Kevin Winston Jr. early last season would end up being to the benefit of the team that drafted him this spring.

“I think there’s value because he missed time with only playing two games this year,” Jeremiah said during a media conference call, “but you get a nice package of height, weight, speed. He’s aggressive. He’s good versus the run. You go back to the ‘23 tape, there’s a lot to like about him.”

The Tennessee Titans must have found a lot they liked about Winston, and they could become the beneficiaries of what Jeremiah was referring to by landing Winston with the 82nd overall pick in the third round Friday.

The 6-foot-1 ½, 215-pound Winston had his final college season end after suffering a partially torn ACL during a Week 4 practice in September. While a significant disappointment for a player coming off a sophomore season in which he was honorable mention all-Big Ten, Winston remained around the team and focused on his rehab following his Oct. 1 surgery.

“Just control what I can control, and what I could control was attacking my rehab as if it’s the season,” Winston said during the combine early this spring. “And that’s what I did to make sure I put myself in the best position for when I return for football.”

Winston said he “will be 100%” healthy in time for training camp. Named a Penn State co-captain as a junior, Winston impressed scouts with his intangibles.

During the most recent full season he played, Winston was graded as the nation’s second-best safety in Pro Football Focus’ subjective criteria. Winston in 2023 also graded as the best tackling safety in the country, the third-best against the run and 13th (out of the 492 safeties who played the most snaps) in coverage.

Winston elected to forgo a fourth college season to declare for the draft.

“Physically, there was no doubt in my mind I was ready,” he said. “But mentally, I had to make sure that mentally I was ready for the NFL. If you’re not mentally strong and mentally ready for the NFL, you won’t last. Guys that are mentally weak, they don’t last in the league, and I had to make sure that I was there. I have been preparing for my mental and my habits and my routines since I was a freshman in college.”