KJ Winston injury update: When will the Penn State safety be ready to work out with his first NFL team?
STATE COLLEGE — Penn State safety KJ Winston is now at the five-month mark of his recovery from the injury that ended his 2024 season just five and a half quarters into it. The Maryland native left the Bowling Green game in Week 2 in the second quarter and never returned. He’d be seen later in the year with a large brace over his right leg. And, while he traveled with the Lions during their College Football Playoff run, he’d never return to the field.
Fast forward to Friday, and Winston was one of 10 Nittany Lions who participated in at least some part of the team’s annual Pro Day. After not being ready to work out at the NFL Combine, he ran only the 40-yard dash inside Holuba Hall. His 4.50-second time was not as fast as the 4.44-second one he says he clocked a week go. Those are the first two he’s run since the injury. Both would have been inside of the top 10 of the times recorded by other safeties at the Combine. At the very least, it should help alleviate some of the concerns pro teams might have about drafting the 6-foot-1, 215-pound prospect who says he was in the 4.3s pre-injury.
“My biggest thing is I always want to compete,” Winston said. “That’s the most frustrating part. I can’t go out there compete with different guys and compete with the best of the best. But I have to control what I control. And when I get the chance to come out and compete, I’ll be excited for that.
“I wanted a faster time than that, but I just want to show that I’m running. I’m doing well running, [and] getting stronger. It felt great.”
Winston details ‘not very difficult’ choice to leave Penn State
Winston said he’s targeting his pro team’s training camp to be back at 100 percent. That would mean he’d miss some rookie minicamps and the like. But, current projections have him going on Day 2, which signals many teams will likely be comfortable with that reality.
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It goes without saying that many wondered if Winston’s setback would lead to a comeback at Penn State for the 2025 season. That was never going to be the plan.
“I had all the habits that I needed to be a pro,” Winston said. “And thinking through all that it allowed me to make the decision to come out.
“I don’t think it was a very difficult decision, considering that the injury was early on the season. Obviously, if it was the last game of the season, or middle, there would be kind of some gray area there. But with it being at the beginning of the season,and I’ll be at this point able to run, considering all those things and all those factors, it was pretty much an easy decision.”
