Oklahoma DT Winfrey ‘juiced’ to be drafted by Browns
Pacing. Sweating. Barking. To say new Browns defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey was fired up Saturday when he spoke to reporters on Zoom would be an understatement.
“This is how I wake up — juiced up,” Winfrey said. “To be honest, I just woke up at 10:40 a.m. It’s 11:30 a.m., and I’m juiced. No coffee needed.”
The Browns addressed a big need on the interior of their defensive line by picking the University of Oklahoma’s Winfrey in the fourth round (No. 108 overall) of the NFL Draft.
“I’m coming in to kill right away with my boys,” Winfrey said. “I’m lined up next to [defensive end] Myles Garrett, the best defensive end in the game. We’re fixing to take this over. It’s over with. I’m telling you it’s over with.
“I’m going to come in and work every single day until I can’t work anymore. They will feel me every single day. I’m going to give it my all on and off the field. Anything that’s a negative in my game, I will turn it into a positive by the beginning of the season.”
Browns director of player personnel Dan Saganey noted Winfrey is extremely passionate.
“I think the Dawg Pound is going to love him,” Saganey said. “He’s a high-energy player all day, and he loves football.”
Winfrey, 21, started at nose tackle the past two seasons at Oklahoma, but he and the Browns agree his best position in the NFL will be three-technique, where he’s expected to compete for a starting job right away.
“He’s an up-field penetrator all day,” Saganey said. “You can put that guy over the center. You can put him over a guard. You can really try to cut the offense in half. His skill set is fun to watch. I think he fits projecting him
to a true three-tech spot here.
“I love his game. Perrion is a guy who’s a great scheme fit for us as far as coming off the ball. He plays with violence. He plays with quickness, speed and power. He’s an up-the-field, penetrating type of player as a three-technique.”
The most valuable player of the Senior Bowl in February, Winfrey spent the past two seasons with Oklahoma after going the junior college route at Iowa Western Community College.
“I’m a JUCO ( junior college) baby like (Green Packers quarterback) Aaron Rodgers,” said Winfrey, who was an academic nonqualifier for Division I coming out of Lake Park High School on the West Side of Chicago. “… That adversity shaped me in a positive way.”
As a senior last season, Winfrey tallied 23 tackles, including 11 for loss, 5½ sacks, two quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. He sat out the Alamo Bowl after declaring for the draft. He was voted second-team All-Big 12 by the conference’s coaches and the Associated Press.
In 2020, Winfrey started eight of 11 games for the Sooners and had 19 tackles, including six for loss, a half sack and three pass breakups. He was voted second-team All-Big 12 by the conference’s coaches.
Winfrey expected to be picked earlier. In the buildup to the draft, Calvin Thibodeaux, Oklahoma’s defensive line coach the past six seasons, told the Beacon Journal he had consistently heard Winfrey would likely become a second-round pick.
“I expected to go early, but to be honest, I needed this,” Winfrey said. “This was a wake-up call, and this gave me all of the fuel … I needed to come into the league and dominate, so I would not change a thing.”
The Browns drafted Cincinnati running back Jerome Ford in the fifth round (156th overall) and Oklahoma wide receiver Michael Woods II in the sixth round (202nd overall). They added their third Oklahoma player — defensive end Isaiah Thomas — of the day with their first pick (223rd overall) of the seventh round.