Analyzing the likelihood the Falcons add former Minnesota Safety Antoine Winfield Jr.

Three-time Pro Bowl safety Antoine Winfield once returned an interception for a touchdown in a Minnesota Vikings 24-3 rout over the Atlanta Falcons in 2007. In a twist of fate, Winfield's son, Antoine Winfield Jr., could potentially become a member of the Falcons this spring.It's no secret the Falcons are going to emphasize defense in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Depending on what Atlanta does in the first round, Winfield is an excellent target for Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff on day two of the draft.CBS Sports ranks Winfield as the fourth-best available safety in the 2020 draft class.

Alabama's Xavier McKinney and LSU's Grant Delpit are clearly the best two options at safety in this year's draft, but it will likely take a first-round pick to acquire either one. There's a small chance Delpit falls to the early part of the second round, but neither player will still be on the board when the Falcons make their second choice at No. 47 overall.

In between Delpit and Winfield on CBS Sports' rankings of safeties in the 2020 class is California's Ashtyn Davis. CBS Sports considers him the 44th-best player in the draft while Winfield sits at 57th overall.

If Davis is also already gone by the time Atlanta picks on Day 2, the Falcons could try to trade back a few spots from 47th and grab Winfield later in the second round. Interesting, while CBS Sports ranks Winfield as the fourth-best safety, the next three safeties after him are also in the top-75 players overall according to the same list. Essentially, the third tier of safeties in the 2020 class has four very good players that all should be targeted in the latter part of the second round or early third.

Should the Falcons consider all four safeties interchangeable, trading back would be the move. Dimitroff should take advantage of the second-round safety depth to acquire more draft capital.

On the other hand, there's no guarantee the Falcons see the safety board the same way as CBS Sports. Perhaps Dimitroff has Winfield as his third-best safety ahead of Davis, in which case the Falcons will more likely target Winfield at No. 47 overall.

Of course, all of these scenarios assume the Falcons don't draft either McKinney or Delpit in the first round, which they very well could do. A Bleacher Report mock draft from April 11 had the Falcons selecting McKinney at No. 16.

But if the Falcons are able to land the pass rusher they so desperately need in the first round, then Dimitroff will be considering other options to improve his defense. With the health of Keanu Neal a major question mark this offseason, Winfield should be on Dimitroff's list of possible second-round choices.

Winfield isn't as flashy as the other top safeties in this class, but he is strong in coverage and supports in run defense. NFL.com projects him to become a reliable starter at the next level.

"Winfield isn't as tall or as long as teams like, and he's an average athlete, but he's an interchangeable safety who can flat out play," wrote Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.

The first three rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft will take place over two days -- Thursday, April 23 and Friday, April 24 -- in primetime. The event, which will be completely virtual due to the coronavirus, will be aired on ESPN, NFL Network and ABC.

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