The best is yet to come for Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Winston Jr.

When the Titans selected Kevin Winston Jr in the 2025 NFL Draft, many did not expect much from him this season. It was known heading into the draft that he was coming off an ACL injury he suffered early in the 2024 college football season, which had many thinking we would not see much of him this season. Then we slowly but surely saw him ramp up, and he began to appear regularly on the field. But all that came to an end when he injured his hamstring on Sunday versus the San Francisco 49ers. The Titans subsequently placed Winston Jr on season-ending Injured Reserve on Tuesday, bringing his 2025 season to an abrupt end. The season for Winston Jr: 31 total tackles, one sack, two passes defensed and four tackles for loss in ten games. Although his season is over, Winston Jr. showed he could be a piece of Tennessee's young core of players to watch.

 One thing that was apparent in watching Winston Jr. was his versatility. Standing at 6’2” and weighing in at 213 pounds, Winston is not a small man at all and that helps when he defends the run. He is big enough and physical enough to stand up at the line of scrimmage and take on blockers. And in doing that, he was a fixture in helping to stop the run. But along with being able to fit in the run game, he could also do things in the passing game, and most notably, he could line up in the slot or as the strong safety and play both positions well, and he especially showed the skill to guard slot receivers pretty solidly.

 Along with his versatility, Winston Jr. had the innate ability, as a young player, to soak in what the veterans were talking about and translate it onto the field. He was always in meeting rooms, sitting with the vets like Xavier Woods and Amani Hooker, soaking up the knowledge they had to offer. And along with that, he also would walk around the field before each game speaking with Titans’ secondary and safety coach Steve Jackson. Listening to the vets is not something rookies always do, and Winston Jr. did so regularly because he wants to be his absolute best. That may not be a skill in physical situations on the field, but his sponge-like nature is perfect for his development and preparation to be the player he wants to be. And it speaks to him not feeling like he is too big or above anyone.