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Pittsburgh Steelers: Three Early Predictions for Minkah Fitzpatrick

By Chris Ross

MIAMI, FL - AUGUST 25: Minkah Fitzpatrick #29 of the Miami Dolphins celebrates after making the tackle in the second quarter during a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at Hard Rock Stadium on August 25, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - AUGUST 25: Minkah Fitzpatrick #29 of the Miami Dolphins celebrates after making the tackle in the second quarter during a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens at Hard Rock Stadium on August 25, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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Minkah Fitzpatrick
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 16: Minkah Fitzpatrick #29 of the Miami Dolphins celebrates scoring a touchdown after intercepting a pass by Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings in the second quarter of the game at U.S. Bank Stadium on December 16, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Fitzpatrick scored a 50 yard touchdown on the play. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /

At Least Five Interceptions

Going hand-in-hand with the Pro Bowl prediction, Fitzpatrick’s first season in Pittsburgh should show his ball-skills in a big way, resulting in at least five interceptions. Five interceptions in 14 remaining games is a lot to expect, but it’s not too crazy when taking into account his collegiate production, including a sophomore season in which he picked off six passes. Whereas in Miami Fitzpatrick was often used as a strong safety, negating his talent in pass coverage, the Steelers will be looking to utilize him as more of hybrid safety-cornerback type of player that suites him well.

There’s no doubting that the Steelers could stand to pick off a few more passes in the secondary. Joe Haden led the team last season with just two interceptions while nobody else on the team had more than one. As a team, the Steelers only managed to pick off eight passes last season, a mark that simply must improve. To put that into perspective, three separate players had seven interceptions by themselves last year. As a rookie, Fitzpatrick would have tied Haden for the team lead last season in interceptions. With a year of experience under his belt and a brand new system tailor-made for him to shine, expect him to more than double that total this season.

The Steelers haven’t had a player record more than five interceptions in a season since 2010 when Troy Polamalu hauled in seven. Expect that to finally change now that Fitzpatrick has been added to the secondary.

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