(670 The Score) Minnesota safety prospect Antoine Winfield Jr. grew up watching a great example for his football future: veteran NFL cornerback Antoine Winfield, his father.
The senior Winfield played 14 NFL seasons, having been drafted in the first round back in 1999 before calling it a career in 2012. For all the elder Winfield accomplished during his career -- including three Pro Bowl honors -- his son most admired the intangibles in his father's game.
"My dad had a lot of heart, and that's kind of what I looked up to in him," Winfield Jr. said at the NFL Combine in February.
"It's not about how big you are, how tall you are. It's about how much fight you have."
Winfield Jr. is striving for the same kind of NFL success his father enjoyed. He's considered one of the premier safety prospects in this draft class and will offer intrigue to a team like the Bears should he fall into the second round, as many have projected.
The 5-foot-9, 203-pound Winfield stepped in at safety for Minnesota during his freshman season in 2016 and quickly emerged as a key part of the Gophers' defense. He had 85 tackles and seven interceptions as a senior last season.
If the Bears are seeking a complement to Pro Bowl safety Eddie Jackson, Winfield could be the right fit for their defense.
"That's my goal, to create takeaways for my team and that gives us the best opportunity to win," Winfield said. "I'm going to do everything in my power to do that."
The Bears enter this draft without a long-term answer at safety. Deon Bush, Jordan Lucas and Kentrell Brice are set for a position battle heading into the 2020 season, but all three were signed to one-year deals this offseason. Should the Bears covet stability alongside Jackson in the secondary, a player like Winfield could fill that desire.
Winfield hopes to replicate his father's NFL success, but he also wants to make a name for his own.
"He really just tells me to be myself and be my own individual person," Winfield Jr. said. "At a young age, he told me that I didn't have to play football if I didn't want to. I do it because I love playing football and to get my own identity and be myself."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
