Steelers All 90: Free Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick
All 90 is a Pittsburgh Steelers Now series profiling each of the 90 members of the Steelers 2021 offseason roster.
39 • Minkah Fitzpatrick, fourth-year free safety
Acquired: The Steelers have traded away their first-round pick just once in 70 years, and the lone exception to that rule came when Kevin Colbert pulled the trigger on 2019 deal to bring Fitzpatrick to the Steelers for the first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Last season: Fitzpatrick continued his strong play since coming to Pittsburgh, earning his second consecutive All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections and is becoming widely regarded as one of the top safeties in the NFL.
He finished the 2020 season with 79 tackles, four interceptions and a career-high 11 passes defend. He also had one tackle for loss and one fumble recovery.
Career: Fitzpatrick was drafted with the No. 11 pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins and started 11 games with the team as a rookie.
In 2019, he played two games with the Dolphins before coming to Pittsburgh. In 14 games with the Steelers that season, he had five interceptions, two fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns.
College: Won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in college football and also the Jim Thorpe Award as the top defensive back after his junior season at Alabama. Was a two-time All-American and two-time All-SEC selection, in addition to being a freshman All-American and All-SEC selection in 2015. Won national championships in 2015 and 2017.
Camp outlook: Fitzpatrick is back for his third season as the Steelers’ starting free safety, and will join Joe Haden and Terrell Edmunds as returning starters in the defensive backfield.
Future: The Steelers picked up the fifth-year option of Fitzpatrick’s rookie contract, which will pay him a guaranteed $10.6 million in 2022, after which, he will become an unrestricted free agent.
The rest of the 90:
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