The Pittsburgh Steelers spent some draft capital to get safety Minkah Fitzpatrick years ago from the Miami Dolphins.
While Fitzpatrick has been with the Steelers since 2019, it’s not stopping people from seeing him as a dominant player in Pittsburgh.
However, is this skilled safety the best safety in the NFL, or does he fall short of this feat?
Fitzpatrick Is Solid At His Position
The move to Pittsburgh is paying dividends for Fitzpatrick.
He’s gone from a middle-of-the-road safety to one of the best safeties in the NFL this season.
After having mediocre combine numbers before the NFL Draft, he’s now turning a corner with the Steelers.
Combine athletic testing is not make or break for potential 1st round picks.
Christian Wilkins (TBD), Minkah Fitzpatrick (has looked *great*, but now in Pittsburgh) and Charles Harris (3.5 sacks in 3 seasons) all tested poor to mediocre in Indy
(via @mockdraftable) pic.twitter.com/jWp8GiVrFF
— Connor Rogers (@ConnorJRogers) April 6, 2020
Since coming to Pittsburgh, he’s been an interception machine, picking off quarterbacks 16 times over four seasons.
While these are great numbers, does it make him the best safety in the NFL?
Great, But Not The Best Safety In The NFL
While Fitzpatrick is a great safety who has made tremendous improvements, he’s a little short of being the best this season.
That honor goes to Derwin James from the Los Angeles Chargers.
With him being an all-purpose safety, he has the edge over the Steelers’ safety.
James’ ability to be a threat to quarterbacks as a pass rusher and safety makes him the best NFL safety.
For 2022, he already has four sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception.
While Fitzpatrick has five interceptions for the 2022 season, it’s James’ blitzing ability that make him slightly better than his counterpart in Pittsburgh.
However, Fitzpatrick can find comfort in knowing he’s the second best safety in the NFL.
