Minkah Fitzpatrick is already Dolphins’ next big star
By Shawn Digity
Dolphins’ rookie Minkah Fitzpatrick was a college star at Alabama. He now faces the challenge of taking the next step.
Minkah Fitzpatrick was a defensive stud playing deep in the secondary for the Crimson Tide. He’s been revered as a jack-of-all-trades on the field. That versatility helped him win both the Chuck Bednarik and Jim Thorpe awards. He’s also been praised for his high football IQ and earned the nickname “Little Saban” during his college career.
Fitzpatrick dropped to the Dolphins at the 11th pick back in April’s draft. He was a top-7 player that fell because of the quarterback feeding frenzy in the top 10 with the Bills and Cardinals trading up to take their guys.
Rumors spread that Stephen Ross implored his coaching staff and scouting personnel to trade down. That would’ve been a folly. It was almost unanimous throughout the draft community that Fitzpatrick was an upper-echelon prospect and he fell into the Dolphins’ lap.
Drafting Fitzpatrick was the right move regardless of positional need and it’s a decision that will yield early returns. The biggest knock against Fitzpatrick was not having a “true position”. That’s ridiculous. This might be an oversimplification, but just play him everywhere.
The term “Swiss army knife” has been tossed around the last several months when talking about Fitzpatrick. I think that’s a refreshing take on a Dolphins player. Not only will Fitzpatrick be a dynamic force, but he’ll also be fun to watch with his versatile abilities.
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The pieces are in place for Fitzpatrick to find near-instant success. Proven star, Reshad Jones, and the hard-hitting T.J. McDonald will also help top off a great safety group and should help Fitzpatrick hit the ground running. If Fitzpatrick sees any time at slot CB, then Bobby McCain can help him as well. My only complaint is that Michael Thomas is no longer on the team. He would’ve been a great mentor for Fitzpatrick.
I’m talking a lot about Fitzpatrick and his skills and situation. There’s a good reason. Miami is grooming an under-the-radar Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
There have already been some early indicators that Fitzpatrick can make this kind of impact in his first season. Remember those two awards that Fitzpatrick won? The last player to win both in one season was Patrick Peterson and he’s been to the Pro Bowl all seven years he’s been in the league. That doesn’t guarantee success for Fitzpatrick, but it’s good company and a bellwether of things to come.
There were also reports throughout OTAs earlier in June that Fitzpatrick was making plays and pulling down interceptions. Again, not a guarantee of anything, but it’s an encouraging sign. It not often that a rookie can find huge success in training camp coming right out of the gate, but Fitzpatrick has shown potential to buck that trend.
History has proven that it’s difficult for a safety to win DROY. It’s only happened twice since the award’s inception in 1967. That’s a foreboding sign under normal circumstances. That’s where the “Swiss Army knife” versatility becomes very important. He’ll have to play in multiple positions and make impacts at all of them to enter contention for the award. I have no doubt that “Little Saban” will find a way to enter the DROY conversation though.