There’s no question that Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is one of the best in the league. However, his exact ranking in relation to the other NFL safeties has been a point of debate recently. PFF had him ranked the second-best in the league in its most recent rankings behind Derwin James of the Los Angeles Chargers. However, Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated released his rankings of the top 10 safeties in the league and he had a different view on Fitzpatrick.
“Fitzpatrick tops our list because he is, at only 26 years old, on track to the Hall of Fame,” Verderame wrote. “Traded after two seasons with the Dolphins, Fitzpatrick has starred with the Steelers, reaching three Pro Bowls and first-team All-Pro teams.”
Saying that a 26-year-old safety is on track for a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is high praise. Only two safeties who played for the Steelers have made it to the Hall of Fame. Troy Polamalu and Donnie Shell were both part of the Class of 2020. Polamalu in his career hauled in 32 picks, knocked down 107 passes, sacked opposing quarterbacks 12 times, and scooped up seven fumbles. Shell, who won four Super Bowls with the Steelers, hauled in 51 interceptions as a strong safety, which is still the NFL record at that position.
As for Fitzpatrick, his performance since entering the league in 2018 speaks for itself. In five years, he has picked off opposing quarterbacks 19 times, all but two of those since joining the Steelers. He has 47 passes defended, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and four total defensive touchdowns. He has been a playmaker at the safety position since joining the Steelers two games into the 2019 season, and 2022 was his best season yet even though he missed two games. He had a career-best six interceptions, tied his career-best in passes defended with 11, and had 90 total tackles, second-best in his career.
Those six interceptions tied Fitzpatrick for most by a single player in 2022 with C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Justin Simmons, both of whom made Verderame’s rankings at 10th and third respectively. The aforementioned James finished second to Fitzpatrick.
There’s no doubt that Fitzpatrick has established himself as one of the premier defensive playmakers in the NFL today. While there’s still plenty of career left before he can be officially considered for a gold jacket, he’s been remarkably healthy and only missed three games so far in his career. Time will tell, but for right now, he’s arguably the best safety in the league.
