Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr. declares for NFL draft

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr. declared for the NFL draft Wednesday, skipping his final two years of eligibility after earning consensus All-American honors and tying the single-season program record with seven interceptions.

Winfield posted the announcement on his Instagram account, and the team confirmed his decision. Winfield led the Gophers with 88 total tackles and 62 solo tackles, helping them beat Auburn in the Outback Bowl to finish 11-2 for the most wins in program history since 1904.

He was the Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year award winner and one of five finalists for the Nagurski Award, given annually to the best defensive player in the nation. Winfield also had three sacks and two forced fumbles. He spent four years with the Gophers, taking medical redshirts in 2017 (hamstring) and 2018 (foot) because of injuries that limited him to four games in each season.

He is the son of Antoine Winfield, a three-time Pro Bowl cornerback who played nine of his 14 years in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings.