Who is the best safety in the NFL this season?
According to Pro Football Focus and its rating system, it has been someone somewhat surprising: Minkah Fitzpatrick of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The highest-graded safety this season
Minkah Fitzpatrick – 86.4 🟡 pic.twitter.com/AHk6sc87u9
— PFF (@PFF) December 15, 2022
Fitzpatrick Has Been Ascending For A While Now
The Steelers may be terrible, but Fitzpatrick has emerged as a young player head coach Mike Tomlin can build around for the next several years.
The New Jersey native started to turn heads during his college career at the University of Alabama, when he posted 10 passes defended, two sacks and two pick-sixes in 2015 as the Crimson Tide won the NCAA national championship.
He continued to maintain his play as a sophomore and junior, and it earned him the right to be chosen 11th in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.
Although he showed some promise in Miami, it traded him to Pittsburgh early in the 2019 season, and under Tomlin, he has blossomed.
Fitzpatrick put up nine passes defended and five interceptions that season en route to the Pro Bowl and All-Pro First Team, and he got both nods again in 2020 with 11 passes broken up and four interceptions.
So far this year, he has defended eight passes and intercepted four, one of which he brought back for a touchdown.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t paid dividends for the 5-8 Steelers, as they rank 24th in passing yards allowed and 29th in passing touchdowns allowed.
But at least in Fitzpatrick, they seem to have a franchise cornerstone who has been giving Steelers nation hope that they will return to the playoffs sooner than later.
