Analysis by Pro Football Weekly:
Notes:
Redshirted in 1997. Led the team and the entire Southeastern Conference
in tackles in 1998 with 131. Included in that total were 15 tackles for
loss and eight sacks. Defended his tackling crown in '99 with 141, including
23 for negative yardage and 5½ sacks. Was suspended for the first
two games of the 2000 season for getting free financial-planning advice
and help with getting an individual line of credit. Came back to start
from Game 3 on and finished the season with 105 stops, seven for loss and
three sacks. Made either first- or second-team All-SEC the past three years.
Positives: May be short, but he is not a little man. Is a thickly built, well-developed athlete who is built a little along the lines of Mike Singletary. Top competitor. Good leverage player. Plays the game in good football position. Breaks down well and keeps his pads low when taking on blockers or tackling. Very tough and aggressive. Quick, active and explosive. Quick to make his reads and to react. Can get into the hole quickly and blow the runner up or go sideline-to-sideline. Good blitzer. Is improving on pass coverage. Durable. Has not missed a game he was allowed to play in. Negatives: Shorter than you would like. May have some trouble seeing the ball at times. Will guess and gamble. Does not do a good job of taking on blockers and must be covered up and protected. Likes to run around the blocker, and when he guesses wrong and goes to the wrong side of the blocker, big holes are created. Summary: Is not Mike Singletary, but he is cut from a somewhat similar mold. Might be an effective player in the right defense, where he is protected well and is free to run to the ball. But he will really struggle if he is not protected by the players up front. * Player biographies are provided by Pro Football Weekly. The National Football League has not participated in the production or editing of player information or any other information from Pro Football Weekly, and links are provided as a courtesy to fans.
Info from The War Room: Versus inside run: Is a bit of a tweener; could play inside or outside. Is a better fit outside because of size. Still lack some size on the outside, but has shown the ability to shed blockers. Is active and makes a lot of plays with quickness and good change-of-direction skills. Needs to improve inside tackling skills; doesn't always wrap-up a ball carrier. Grade: 6.1. Versus outside run: Reads, reacts, sheds and makes plays on the run. Is everything a coach wants in a strongside linebacker. Shows great range. Has the ability to dominate matchups against tight ends in the running game. Also makes a lot of plays in the backfield because of his quickness, speed and athleticism. Grade: 7.3. Blitz/coverage: Looks unnatural in coverage, especially on drops. Will develop into a solid cover guy, especially against tight ends because of likely speed advantage against most NFL tight ends. Will need to work on the technical aspect of coverage. Can be a good pass rusher, but is more his style to roam around the line of scrimmage and make plays just a few yards upfield. Grade: 5.8. Run/pass recognition: Has great natural instincts, but needs to be taught what to do with them. Never has been asked to play in coverage, and never has been a pure rush linebacker. Don't shy away from him for this, though, because he is football smart and will pick up any scheme. Grade: 6.1. Pursuit/tackling: Has elite ability to make plays in space. Is a roaming player; likes to make plays on the run with little responsibility. Needs to improve as a tackler, but is much better in the open field and in pursuit than in a structured environment. Grade: 6.7. Bottom line: Winborn is an exciting prospect because of his natural skills and athleticism. He has all of the intangibles, and if he adds some bulk before the draft, he could be selected in the second or third rounds. Dan Pompei analysis
Player Bio
Info from CBS SportsLine: Fast junior linebacker completed an excellent career for the Vandy defense as a three time All SEC performer. Winborn is another in a long line of tough Vandy linebackers to move on to the NFL. He is a compact smallish defender who runs well and has the fine instincts and tackling skills to be an every down defender. He made an immediate impact as a redshirt freshman in '98 when he led the SEC in tackles displaying big play ability from the inside. As a freshman, he totalled 131 tackles with 15 TFLs, 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 recovered fumble and 2 PBUs. He has outstanding speed and quickness that allows him to gain a fast advantage on the snap and beat blockers to the hole. He plays with excellent leverage and instincts and is a student of the game as far as game preparation is concerned. As a junior, he played in only nine games due to a two game self-imposed suspension for violating NCAA rules related to free financial advise. For the season, he made 105 tackles with 7 TFLs, 3 sacks, 3 fumbles caused and 6 PBUs again earning First Team SEC honors. He has the package to be an every down defender and displays the burst to be a factor in the blitz package as a pass rusher. In just three seasons, he registered 16.5 sacks in a limited role as a pass rusher. He has the quickness on the snap and the burst of speed to get to the passer consistently. Winborn has improved in pass coverage over his career, doing extensive film work related to responsibilities, techniques and zone coverage. He is fluid in his drops with fine footwork and the quickness to close on the ball. He needs some work on his hands and the reps to improve in that area to intercept the ball. At the combine, he weighed in at just 219 pounds, far below his 228-pound playing weight for the '00 season. He is on the smallish side, but can carry in the 235-pound range as a pro. He will need to bulk up to hold the point of attack better. He can be engulfed by bigger linemen, though he has been very productive over his career relying on fine quickness and instincts to more than compensate for his size liability. At the combine, he did 35.5-inch vertical leap and a 9-feet-1-inch broad jump. He has the non-stop motor, quick feet and great instincts that allows him to get penetration into the backfield consistently. He has become one of the more developed linebackers in the country in all aspects of play. He has the explosiveness to the ball to make plays, combining quickness and power to get to the ball and drop runners. As a sophomore in '99, he made 141 tackles with 23 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, 2 fumbles caused and 2 PBUs. He lacks the bulk to be a strong point of attack defender, though he does play with fine leverage and good functional strength. He is very similar to former Vandy linebacker Jamie Duncan, though the coaches feel he is a better athlete and a more developed player at the same point of progress. He is very similar to Dexter Coakley in athleticism, size and speed. Winborn is a big play performer and has the package to be a fine every down defender, if he proves he can hold up in run support between the tackles. His fine speed, mobility and instincts would also allow him to move outside and be a quality starter. He has the talent to be a special teams demon as a rookie. He is a player with high production and good intangibles to start very early in his pro career. His play has caught several clubs' eye and he could be a surprise early third round pick with many clubs projecting him to the weakside linebacker spot. Aggressive athlete with big time skills and a top 75 player who could amazingly fall to the second day. Playmaker with the talent to be a solid starter and middle round steal. Draft Projection: 3rd Round
Info from FoxSports.com: Winborn is on the small side, but is a very active linebacker. He will attack the run aggressively at the line of scrimmage. He has shown he can take on blockers and uses his hands well to get off blocks. He shows he can make plays at the line as I described, but also gets into the backfield. What I like though is his natural read and react ability. He locates the ball quickly and shows a good burst to make a play. The only area he really needs work on is that he tends to miss some tackles at times. In terms of range, he covers a lot of ground and will chase down plays. Winborn is not a natural in the passing game, but he shows good quickness to close in on the ball. He needs to work on refining his technique of dropping in coverage. Once he is a little smoother, he could match up a lot better. This guy has a future at the pro level if he can be put in a system that allows him the freedom to attack the gaps and make plays at the line of scrimmage. He is more of a free lancer player rather than an assignment player who has to follow responsibilities. I like his motor as he displays a lot of effort on the field. Winborn grades as a second or third round pick. Grade: 5.7
Info from CNN/SI: Winborn is a junior eligible who was very productive throughout his career as a 3-4 inside linebacker. He lacks the preferred size for a pro middle linebacker, as he is short but has thick thighs, a muscular upper body, and good strength. Winborn is a hard tackler who can wrap and bring a ballcarrier down on the spot, but he misses more tackles than he should.
Info from FansOnly.com: POSITIVES...Punishing run stopper who is very decisive in his movements... Stays low in pursuit, quickly shedding while knifing into the backfield...Produces a punishing hand jolt to jam tight ends and uses his leg drive to generate a strong charge that prevents blockers from sealing him off...Has great chase speed moving in-line and the openfield acceleration to make plays at the opposite end...Stays tight with the receivers on crossing patterns... Maintains position and diagnoses the plays sharply to break down in the open field...His aggressiveness and low pad level allows him to be very effective blitzing off the edge. NEGATIVES...Has to do a better job of extending his arms working in tight quarters as he exposes his chest too much, allowing blockers to get their hands on his body to contain... Can get a little reckless in his pursuit, over-running the ball carriers as he lacks classic stop-&-go action... Looks stiff in the hips when he tries to get depth on his pass drops and appears very hesitant switching off in the zone...Susceptible to the quarter-back's pumps and fakes...Short size causes problems defending in-line when taking on multiple blockers, as they tend to bounce him around quite a bit. CAREER NOTES...Three-year starter who is regarded as one of the finest linebackers to ever play for the Commodores...Relentless in pursuit, Jamie is known for playing at a high intensity level...Started every game during his career, recording 377 tackles (236 solos), 16.5 quarterback sacks for minus 105 yards and 45 stops for losses of 198 yards. REMINDS ME OF...Jacksonville's T.J. Slaughter. GAZING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL...Left school a year too early, as he needed to get back into form after missing three games due to a suspension (never got untracked in 2000). He's a quality backer who will need time to digest the pro system, but he'll be starting by his second year. |
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