Where Would Bucs Pro Bowlers Wirfs, Winfield Land In A Re-Draft?

The 2020 NFL Draft was a fantastic one for the Bucs. They managed to land two impact players and Pro Bowlers in right tackle Tristan Wirfs and safety Antoine Winfield, Jr. with the team’s first two picks.

Wide receiver Tyler Johnson, a fourth-rounder has logged valuable snaps and has made a few critical catches in his two years in Tampa Bay. And third-round running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn has improved the last two seasons. He’s made the most of his opportunity when called to start last year.

Wirfs came into the league and set it ablaze with his stellar play at right tackle. Starting as a rookie he was tasked with going against some of the best pass rushers the league has to offer. Faltering just once, when he let up a sack against Khalil Mack. In his second season he was voted to the Pro Bowl and named a first team All-Pro. The sky’s the limit for Wirfs, who has Hall of Fame potential.

Looking back at the 2020 draft class, trying to understand how Winfield slipped into the second round is puzzling. Not only did he fall into the early-mid part of the second round he wasn’t even the first safety selected.

Winfield was the fourth safety off the board behind the likes of Kyle Dugger, Grant Delpit and Xavier McKinney. Out of the group, there’s no doubting Winfield has been the most productive player. Named a starter from day one, he  gained Pro Bowl recognition in his second season.

How High Does Wirfs Land In A Re-draft?

Bucs RT Tristan Wirfs – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

But when it comes to re-drafting the 2020 NFL Draft, where would both players wind up? Wirfs was originally selected by the Bucs with the 13th pick in Round 1 after a one-spot trade-up with the 49ers. Winfield wasn’t taken until pick No. 45 in the second round. Surely both players would move up in a re-draft, but where would they fall?

Looking at the draft as a whole there have been few players that have been better than Wirfs and two of them are quarterbacks. Chargers passer Justin Herbert and Super Bowl runner-up Joe Burrow of the Bengals. You could make a case for a healthy Chase Young and the electric Justin Jefferson for being better than Wirfs. But he lands no lower than five in a re-draft in my own opinion.

1 – QB Joe Burrow
2 – QB Justin Herbert
3 – DE Chase Young
4 – WR Justin Jefferson
5 – RT Tristan Wirfs

Where Does Winfield Get Re-drafted?

The real question is where does Winfield land?

He’s certainly moved into the first round, but is he a Top 10 player?

Looking at the draft there are only five other 2020 picks not previously listed, including Winfield, that have been named to a Pro Bowl. Those players are, Cowboys wide receiver Ceedee Lamb, Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, Cowboys corner Trevon Diggs and Lions guard Jonah Jackson. Falcons corner A.J. Terrell and Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy are high-caliber players without Pro Bowl nods.

Taylor and Lamb are locks for the Top 10 in a re-draft. And because of the position he plays, Diggs most likely is as well. Especially after leading the league in interceptions in 2021. That would leave two spots left to round out the Top 10.

Looking at the careers of Jeudy and Terrell compared to Winfield, Winfield gets the nod over both for me. Terrell rounds out the Top 10 due to Jeudy’s injuries in the league.

6 – RB Jonathan Taylor
7 – WR Ceedee Lamb
8 – CB Trevon Diggs
9 – S Antoine Winfield, Jr.
10 – CB A.J. Terrell

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