Titans S Kevin Winston Jr. Models His Game After NFL Legend

Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Winston Jr. is in his second NFL season in 2026. 

His rookie year didn't go as planned. 

He was drafted by the Titans in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of Penn State. If he hadn't sustained a season-ending ACL tear in his senior season, he probably would have been drafted higher. 

The injury caused his draft stock to take a hit, and he fell to the Titans, who didn't miss the chance to pick him. 

Winston is definitely spoiled as a safety. He gets to learn from Amani Hooker, who is having one of the best seasons of his NFL career and is chasing NFL history. 

There's a lot that Winston can learn from Hooker, but there's one former NFL player that he is modeling his game after. In an interview posted on the Titans' X page, Winston said that he was a big fan of safety Sean Taylor as a kid. 

When he first got to Penn State, Winston wore No. 21 because of Taylor. He wasn't able to get that number with the Titans, but Taylor's impact on Winston comes out in how he plays the game. 

"Simply, the style of play. I end up watching his 'A Football Life'. I watch that video. I pretty much watch that before every season. And just the way he was. Jogging to practice, you know. Everything was at a high level. That physical safety. Bigger safety. The ability to go get the ball. He's another linebacker out there, as well as he could play in the secondary like a corner or guard guy." 

Taylor played college football at Miami and was teammates with NFL players like Willis McGahee, Andre Johnson and Kellen Winslow. Taylor was then drafted by the then-called Washington Redskins in 2004. 

He had an immediate impact when he got to the NFL. He recorded four interceptions, one sack, 78 total tackles and three TFLs as a rookie. He finished fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting. 

Taylor eventually became a Pro Bowler in 2006 and 2007. Sadly, Taylor wasn't able to finish out his NFL career. 

Halfway through the 2007 season, there was a home invasion at Taylor's home in Florida. Taylor went to confront the group of intruders and was shot in the femoral artery. 

With how well Taylor was playing, there's no doubt he could have finished his NFL career as a Hall of Famer. 

Hopefully, we'll see Winston's career have a similar trajectory. Taylor is a great player for NFL safeties to model their game after. Taylor never pulled any punches. He was going to put his body on the line for his team no matter what. 

That clip of Taylor crushing players in the Pro Bowl is the perfect example of his weekly mentality in the NFL. 

Taylor is not only a great player to aspire to be because of his play, but also because of his role as a husband and father. Winston chose a great person to model his game and life after.