San Francisco 49ers selects Dee Winters in sixth round of 2023 NFL Draft

TCU has another defensive star from their College Football Playoff team officially in the NFL. Star linebacker Dee Winters is off to the San Francisco 49ers after they selected him with the No. 216 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Winters was a fixture in the Horned Frog defense. The senior linebacker was a four-year starter for TCU, racking up the stats along the way. His 2022 season was filled with a handful of career bests.

Winters had career highs in tackles (79), tackles for loss (14.5), and sacks (7.5). Winters’ time at TCU ended with 246 total tackles, 160 solo, 33.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, seven passes defended, three interceptions, and two fumbles recovered.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Winters

According to the draft analyst Lance Zierlein at NFL.com, Winters ranks as the 14-best linebacker prospect in this year’s draft, with a grade of 5.94; tied with Oregon’s Noah Sewell for the spot. That grade puts him in the category of ‘Candidate for bottom of roster or practice squad.’ Here’s how Zierlein views Winters heading into the 2023 NFL Draft.

“A versatile linebacker with inside/outside experience, Winters needs to take on blockers with the same intensity he displays when he hits ball-carriers. He lacks ideal size, so he will need to win with play speed and aggression in attacking the play design. He’s adequate dropping into space and can get after the pocket as a blitzer. He might be best suited for a role as a run and strike Will linebacker, but he has the instincts and feel to play inside if he’s protected by the front. Winters has Day 3 draft value with an average ceiling,” according to Zierlein.

As far as Winters’ strengths go, Zierlein has them listed as follows: “Starting experience at both inside and outside linebacker; Reads the play with bent knees and ready posture; Scrapes and stalks at the runner’s pace; Good feel for when to dart into gaps and make a tackle; Turns the run inside as play-side contain; Flashes second gear to chase down ball-carriers; Explodes from hips into his tackle attempts.”

As for the things he needs to work on: “Runs a little on the smaller side for inside linebacker duty; Delays in diagnosing and triggering from back side; Too passive in taking on the block; Needs to play with more consistent urgency; Below average change of direction in space; Inconsistent locating route threats from zone.”