Minnesota Gophers - 2020 NFL Draft

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Thanks for updating this thread with all the great info, hungan1
 

NFL.com: 2020 NFL Scouting Combine: Invited prospects, by school - National Football League, updated Feb. 10, 2019

PATH TO THE DRAFT: 2020 NFL Scouting Combine: Invited prospects, by school

Minnesota
» Carter Coughlin, LB, Minnesota
» Tyler Johnson, WR, Minnesota
» Kamal Martin, LB, Minnesota
» Antoine Winfield Jr., DB, Minnesota

St. John's (MN)
» Ben Bartch, OL, St. John's (MN)
 
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Veritas said:
Now, "all the players want to play......." Back in the 1950's many excellent college players did not. Now, what 99 out of 100 (?) D 1 players will never get a NFL pension. I'm glad our coach is the kind that stresses that reality to the players. Have your dreams but prepare for the real world after football.
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I tried to avoid the temptation to reply but come on.....

This thread was started to discuss the 3-4 former Gophers that have a legit shot at getting drafted into the NFL. What is wrong with that and how does it in any way shape for form tarnish the college game?

Can't speak for the players in the 50s but the reality is that most players in college football today dream of playing in the NFL but the majority also understand that only a select few will actually make it. Feels like you are just inventing an argument for the sake of pulling a "back in my day" rant.

I will agree that Fleck does a good job of stressing the life outside of football angle, but I don't think the majority of players are as naive about the future as you may think they are.
 

It would be interesting for someone to do a serious "where are they now" study of that assertion complete with background checks of their claims. Take the 2005 recruiting classes from 10 Big Ten universities and find out what those 200 (?) guys are doing now. Actually. They were recruited based on that NFL dream and now they are doing what?
 



Veritas said:
It would be interesting for someone to do a serious "where are they now" study of that assertion complete with background checks of their claims. Take the 2005 recruiting classes from 10 Big Ten universities and find out what those 200 (?) guys are doing now. Actually. They were recruited based on that NFL dream and now they are doing what?
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Probably having the occasional beer while standing at football games like the shameless drunks they are.
 

Keyser Söze said:
Probably having the occasional beer while standing at football games like the shameless drunks they are.
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lol....I have no clue where Veritas was going with that last one or really what point he is trying to prove in objecting to this particular thread. Apparently talking about draft eligible players is somehow bad for college football or the athletes themselves or something along those lines.
 






Mel Kiper, Jr.'s latest Pre-Combine Mock Draft
Round 1 Sleeper Prospect - Antoine Winfield, Jr. at #25 going to the Vikings. He is at 15:00 minutes into the video.

 

2020 NFL Draft Player Profile: Minnesota Wide Receiver Tyler Johnson
 

Highlights: Antoine Winfield Jr. Enters 2020 NFL Draft | Minnesota | B1G Football
 



“One of the biggest sleepers in the 2020 NFL draft”Chris Williamson Minnesota Highlights
 


hungan1 said:
“One of the biggest sleepers in the 2020 NFL draft”Chris Williamson Minnesota Highlights
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Will be interesting to see if anyone spends a draft pick on him. Definitely think he has a good shot to end up on someone's roster. Became one of my favorite players on the team during his time here, very underrated.
 

#28: Minnesota LB Carter Coughlin Highlights | Top 30 Returning B1G Football Players of 2019
 

Kamal Martin | 2019 Highlights | Minnesota Gophers
 

The Gophers have five players who have a shot at getting drafted:

Antoine Winfield, Jr.
Tyler Johnson
Chris Williamson
Carter Coughlin
Kamal Martin

I'd say AWJr and TJ are a sure bet in the first three rounds.

CW, CC, and KM have a shot in the last two rounds.

Good Luck Guys!
 

I’m not sure where he came up with these projections...

 

PitinoFan said:
I’m not sure where he came up with these projections...

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I wonder if he just flipped TJ and Winfield by mistake because in pretty much everything I have seen Winfield is projected higher of those two.
 



Antoine Winfield needs to impress 49ers at 2020 NFL Combine by Peter Panacy, Fansided, 2/25/2020

The San Francisco 49ers could use their first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on a safety, but a later pick suggests Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield would be someone the Niners watch at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Niner Noise’s Jeremy Wohlfart already laid out five of the San Francisco 49ers‘ likely safety targets in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The top names aren’t surprising, as Wohlfart broke down Alabama’s Xavier McKinney as the top option, unlikely to fall to the Niners’ first pick in the draft at No. 31 overall, while LSU’s Grant Delpit is one of those players on the fringes of the first and second rounds.

San Francisco won’t pick again, barring a trade down, until Round 5. If the 49ers elect to target another position first, a day-three safety might be more likely an option to possibly replace the veteran, Jimmie Ward, who is poised to hit free agency this offseason.

One of the players Wohlfart promoted was Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield:

When you think of ballhawks in college football this season, it’s hard to look past the season Antoine Winfield Jr. had for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Winfield had seven interceptions for the year, returning them for 98 yards and a touchdown. He also showed some talent on the blitz, totaling three sacks for the season.
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Winfield is likely a prospect the Niners would be on the fence about before the draft, meaning the former Golden Gopher’s performance at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine could either convince San Francisco he’s worth a shot.

Or it could all but remove him from the 49ers draft board.

There are a few reasons why Winfield needs to have a strong NFL Combine to impress general manager John Lynch and Co. For starters, at 5-foot-10 and 205 pounds, there will be questions about Winfield’s hops and strength. His college tape suggests he plays stronger than his frame would suggest, although one will want the sheer combine numbers to reveal as much as possible:


Winfield will also want to have solid numbers in both his straight-line speed and agility drills, as those will reveal whether or not the 49ers could use him in a single-high safety role.

Early reports suggest Winfield could struggle in an over-the-top role, since he doesn’t quite have the converging speed or fluidity to react to quick decisions on the field. But if those raw numbers and times at the NFL Combine show up well for Winfield, it wouldn’t be shocking to see San Francisco flash a little more interest.

More importantly, Winfield could push up his draft stock from a possible fourth-round selection to going on the back end of day two, should he impress at the combine.

Winfield and all the other prospective defensive backs will do their workouts at the NFL Combine on Sunday, March. 1 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The 2020 NFL Draft will then kick off on Thursday, April 23 in Las Vegas.

ninernoise.com

Antoine Winfield needs to impress 49ers at 2020 NFL Combine

The 49ers could use their first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on a safety, but a later pick suggests Minnesota's Antoine Winfield would be someone to watch.
ninernoise.com ninernoise.com
 

^

I didn’t realize Winfield was slow until the “experts” started weighing in over the last few days.
 

2020 NFL DRAFT Every NFL Team's Early Top Target in the 2020 NFL Draft
By BRENT SOBLESKI Bleacher Report, November 30, 2019
(Re-run old news)
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Green Bay Packers: WR Tyler Johnson, Minnesota

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Evaluations can become too complicated. Sure, certain baseline traits are necessary to be a pro. But talent evaluators often overthink their decisions because so much information is at their disposal.
So it goes with the Minnesota Golden Gophers' Tyler Johnson, who is one of the most effective, productive wide receivers in the 2020 draft class. He won't blow away scouts with his size or speed (6'2", 205 lbs). But he does what every team should want from its targets: He gets open and is reliable.
Johnson has caught 144 passes for 2,194 yards and 22 touchdowns over the last two seasons. He's a skilled route-runner with outstanding body control.
The Green Bay Packers, meanwhile, continue their search for a legitimate second option beyond Davante Adams. None of the other wide receivers on the roster seem to have earned Aaron Rodgers' trust to the point where the offense consistently clicks. Geronimo Allison is second among the team's wide receivers with only 26 receptions.
Johnson's skill set screams a future trusted Rodgers target.
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Minnesota Vikings: S Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota
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Certain matches just feel right.
Antoine Winfield Jr. was born to play for the Minnesota Vikings after his father spent nine seasons with the franchise. The potential pairing of Winfield with his father's old team is far more than nostalgia, though. He is arguably college football's best ball hawk and playmaker at safety.
The Minnesota Gophers defensive back was college football's highest-graded safety well into November, according to Pro Football Focus. As of two weeks ago, Winfield allowed an impressively low 0.31 yards per coverage snap and 38.5 passer rating when targeted, per PFF. The redshirt sophomore is third in the nation with seven interceptions. He's also a fantastic open-field tackler, just like his dad was—Winfield leads the Gophers with 76 total tackles.
The Vikings will likely need safety help after this year since Anthony Harris, Jayron Kearse and the recently reacquired Andrew Sendejo could test free agency in 2020. Winfield can pair with Harrison Smith to provide Minnesota with the game's best set of safeties.

 

PitinoFan said:
^

I didn’t realize Winfield was slow until the “experts” started weighing in over the last few days.
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It is going to be really interesting to see where Johnson and Winfield go in the draft as the projections on them are all over the map. Usually it seems like the mock drafters are fairly locked in on where guys will go but in the case of our top 2 guys there seems to be a really wide range of opinions.
 


We know based on what we see in the games that he played in that he is no T-Rex.
 

Minnesota Football: NFL Combine Preview
Four former Gophers are in Indy trying to improve their draft stock
By gopherguy05@yorka1982 Feb 27, 2020, 8:30am CST

Carter Coughlin.jpgPhoto by Adam Bettcher/Getty ImagesFour former Minnesota Golden Gophers football stars are in Indianapolis this week for the NFL scouting combine. All four players will be trying to raise their draft stock, but not all will be doing the same thing. Some will be doing the full suite of combine activities including medial tests, interviews and the workouts. Some will just be doing the medical work and the interview process. But in all four cases, what happens this weekend in Indianapolis is just one step in trying to hear their name called in Las Vegas in two months.

Tyler Johnson -WR
Johnson is one of those players who will not do much of the physical testing at the combine. Much has been made about his potential 40-yard dash time determining where he may end up going in the draft. He talked about that earlier this week in media interviews at the combine:

“I’m still learning, still adjusting, to all the different techniques that these types of tests require,” Johnson said Tuesday. “I feel like on March 25 on my Pro Day is when I’m gonna be best, when I’m gonna feel most comfortable. I feel like I’m getting better day in and day out. As long as I’m better than I was yesterday then I’m progressing.”
“[Teams] understand it 100 percent,” he said. “Everyone knows that you shouldn’t feel rushed. You should feel comfortable with yourself, go out and do the best that you can possibly do. I’m not concerned at all. I really just backed out because I felt like it was best for me.”
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According to the article Johnson will be thrown to at the Gophers Pro day by St. John’s quarterback Jackson Erdman who just finished his senior year and as a junior in 2018 won the The Gagliardi Trophy as the Division 3 Player of the Year.

Johnson will do the rest of the combine circuit. He was measured in on Monday:

He has been doing the medical testing and interviews earlier this week, and Johnson will participate in the wide receiver drills at the combine which will take place between 3-10 PM on Thursday and will air live on NFL Network.

Carter Coughlin-OLB
Carter Coughlin is one of the Gophers doing the full gamut at the combine. He was measured in on Wednesday:


Coughlin has been going through the medical testing and the interview process this week and will do the full workout circuit and all of the linebacker drills on Saturday from 3-10 PM and will air live on NFL Network.

Kamal Martin -ILB
Martin will be the Gopher that does the least at the combine this weekend. He is still recovering from knee surgery in January and will not do any physical activity in Indy.

He did go through the full measurement portion on Wednesday:


Martin is being evaluated by doctors and will interview with the teams this weekend. The hope is he is healed enough to participate at the Gophers Pro Day on March 25th. If not, his chances of hearing his name called will be pretty small come April.

Antoine Winfield Jr. -DB
Antoine Winfield Jr. has the highest potential draft ceiling of any of the Gophers in Indy this weekend. Some mock drafts have had Winfield sneaking into the back of the first round in the recent past, and a good showing in Indy could help cement him as a first or high second day pick. Winfield will be like Coughlin doing the full run of activities in Indy from the measurements to the physical testing, the DB drills and the medical evaluations and interviews with teams. He has been training in Florida at a camp for the combine. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel caught up with him and has a two minute interview with him HERE. Additionally USA Today did a film session interview with Winfield that is quite interesting. You can check that out here.

Winfield will be measured in with the rest of the defensive backs on Thursday morning and will perform the drills in the final workout period of the combine on Sunday from 1-6 PM on NFL Network.

EDIT—Official Measurements added Thursday AM:


Hopefully all of the Gophers can make an impression this weekend and find their way onto multiple teams draft boards.

www.thedailygopher.com

Minnesota Football: NFL Combine Preview

Four former Gophers are in Indy trying to improve their draft stock
www.thedailygopher.com www.thedailygopher.com
 
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