Perrion

Winfrey

Winfrey (6'4/292) has the versatility to play any spot on the defensive which helped him make massive strides this season with a career-high 5.5 sacks with 11 tackles for loss. What certainly got him noticed though was his incredible performance during the Senior Bowl, which resulted in being named MVP of the game. Winfrey’s size and play style reminds Butler of Fletcher Cox when he was coming out of Mississippi State. As we know, Cox has developed into one of the best defensive linemen in the game with six Pro Bowls and a future bust in Canton. That’s a lot to live up to for Winfrey, but if he continues to develop the way he has in just two seasons in the FBS, he could have a promising career.

Buffalo signed EDGE Von Miller this offseason, but could still add more defensive studs via the draft. Of this group, Winfrey is the highest touted player, and added to his hype during Senior Bowl week. He has been mocked to the first round by some analysts, and NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah ranked him as the 45th best player in this year’s draft. Both Bonitto and Asamoah are projected Day 2 picks.

The Cowboys are in a state of flux right now. Word came out over the past few days that they were looking to move on from WR Amari Cooper and had asked EDGE Demarcus Lawrence to take a pay cut. If they move on from both players, it would create a glaring need at both spots, but the need for a DT was always there. Winfrey (6'4/292) had a great week at the Senior Bowl, dominating drills so much that he was being double and triple-teamed each rep. His presence on the interior would be a force for the Cowboys.

In his 2022 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings 2.0 article, Jeremiah tabbed Winfrey (6'4/292) as the 45th ranked player in this year’s draft. This is a leap for Winfrey, who didn’t crack Jeremiah’s initial top-50 back on February 1st. Winfrey has made some noise in recent weeks with an elite Senior Bowl performance that featured five tackles and two sacks, capping off an impressive week of practice at the event. Winfrey could wind up being a steal for whatever team lands him and can boost his stock at this week’s NFL Scouting Combine.

Mathis was ranked as the second or third IDL on most boards and was often mocked in the 40’s, with Winfrey (6'4"/292) lower in the 60’s or higher. After his stellar Senior Bowl Week, including both games and practices, Winfrey is getting a major bump, at least in The Draft Networks eyes. According to TDN Winfrey was able to play in a more pass rushing role as a three-technique in the Senior Bowl which really unlocked his potential, whereas with Oklahoma he was mostly zero-technique and just taking double teams. His ability to shed blocks and get to the QB were magnified in the new role and is a big part of why they projected him as the first pick in the second round in their latest mock draft.

Winfrey (6'4"/292) had a dominating string of practices leading up the Senior Bowl game, and carried all of that momentum into a stand-out performance. He was a terror all game long, routinely crushing his matchup and forcing the American QB’s to run for their lives. It might have been hard to stand out as a D-lineman on a day where two other players also had two sacks, but it was clear that Winfrey was the best player of the field. Winfrey was awarded the MVP for his play and it’s likely that no one increased their stock as much as Winfrey did this week.

“Ocho out,” is what Winfrey (6'4/292) tweeted on early Tuesday afternoon, as the senior DL shared his intent to declare for the 2022 NFL Draft in a heartfelt letter to his coaches, teammates, family and fans. In his two seasons at Oklahoma, Winfrey totaled six quarterback sacks and 56 pressures per Pro Football Focus, with all of his sacks coming this season. Winfrey was a four-star JUCO transfer out of Iowa Western Community College, who committed to Oklahoma as a member of the 2020 recruiting class. He was rated as the no. 1 JUCO prospect of the 2020 class per 247Sports’ composite rankings, and had also received offers from Alabama, Baylor and Arizona. In preparation for the draft, Winfrey has opted out of the Alamo Bowl against Oregon which is to be played on December 29th.