Could Minkah Fitzpatrick fall to the Chicago Bears at pick number eight?
Minkah Fitzpatrick is one of the most notable names to come into the 2017 NFL Draft. From the moment he stepped foot on Alabama campus he became a noted name on the defense. On a unit where many wait years to start, Fitzpatrick came in for a package as a freshman, and put up 45 tackles, two sacks and two interceptions, earning Freshman All-SEC honors. The following season an injury to Eddie Jackson saw Fitzpatrick move into more of a safety role. Fitzpatrick saw a bump in interceptions go to six as a result. As a junior Fitzpatrick moved around and finished with 60 tackles, eight for loss with an interception and a 1.5 sacks.
Can he fit in a secondary with his former teammate Jackson on the Chicago Bears?
Measurables
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 201 pounds
Age: 20
School: Alabama
Strengths
Minkah Fitzpatrick is a swiss army knife. As mentioned he was excellent as a free safety when Eddie Jackson went down due to injury. However, Minkah Fitzpatrick spent a lot of his college career in the box. He lines up in a “star” position in the Alabama defense. He is essentially in the box, as a pass defending linebacker.
Fitzpatrick also plays in the slot. He can defend slot receivers, running backs and tight ends from these two spots on the field. Fitzpatrick is natural blitzing off of the edge from this spot, and can fight off blockers to be a factor in the running game.
On the last play, Fitzpatrick was lined up on the outside. While he did not do it often, Fitzpatrick did see some time out there. There are projections that he may be transferring to the outside in the NFL, similar to Jalen Ramsey.
If a team were smart, they would use him a variety of ways. He has size, speed, and footwork that all give him a great chance to translate his skills in the NFL. He also has the awareness, understanding and instincts to react quick. On the play below, he is sent in motion, which changed his role. On the fly he picks up a the receiver going over the middle and closes with speed for nothing after the catch. Notice how light on his feet he stays.
Fitzpatrick has great footwork, which is another reason teams believe he can translate to cornerback in the NFL. While working from the slot in the play below, watch his footwork towards the sidelines as the he changes direction and uses his length to contest the pass.
Fitzpatrick also has the deep speed to contend passes down the sideline. It cuts off but in the play below you can see Fitzpatrick stride for stride with his opponent down the field.
Fitzpatrick has solid change of direction ability and brings effort and talent against the run. There is a lot to bring with the talent of Fitzpatrick, and it will be on defensive coordinators to use him properly.
Weakness
The big question with Fitzpatrick is how the team will use him. Everything about him as a cornerback in the NFL is based on projection. With that said, he would be much more comfortable in a zone defense overall, but definitely better on the outside when starting out. While he has deep speed, he has never played press corner at a high level.
However, at the same time there are times where missed tackles become an issue for Fitzpatrick. There is also the question of what the value of a player who defends slot receivers, tight ends and runnings backs is.
Pro Comparison: Mix of Malcolm Jenkins and Harrison Smith
As a player, Fitzpatrick profiles very similarly to Malcolm Jenkins. They both bring the combination of size and footwork that can go one-on-one with some of the best tight ends, running backs, and slot receivers in the NFL. He also is excellent against the run and can play deep in cover-one.
In usage, the best situation would be to find a defensive mind like Mike Zimmer and use him like Harrison Smith.
"Smith plays about a third of his snaps (35%) as an off-ball linebacker. He plays about a quarter of his snaps (24%) as a slot cornerback. 18% of his snaps come as a free safety, and 16% of his snaps come as an edge rusher, typically lined up in a 7-technique or wide-9 (like a 3-4 OLB). His remaining snaps come as an outside cornerback and as a strong safety."
This is how you would envision Fitzpatrick translating in the NFL. The majority of his snaps will come in that role as a linebacker of sorts who can defend multiple areas in the short passing and running game. That will ultimately involve in motioning out to the slot, making that a situation that occurs about 60% of the time. However, playing deep, playing the edge and playing on the outside are in play.
A fit for Chicago Bears?
The first thing that many are going to be quick to say is that he will not be around. Sure, okay, we have a 70 plus day when this will published lets imagine for the sake of football talk.
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If the Bears saw Fitzpatrick on the board, he would likely be the top player on their board. They would likely be trying to look at him as a long term cornerback. Perhaps the team extended Kyle Fuller long term and brought back Prince Amukamara for one more year. Fitzpatrick is a nickel linebacker for one year and moves outside across from Kyle Fuller.
Even with the projection of moving him to cornerback, it would be worth the pick. Vic Fangio is creative and open minded enough that he would not be afraid to put Fitzpatrick on a Rob Gronkowski or Zach Ertz if needed, ,however, he also knows shutting out a top outside threat at wide receiver is usually the biggest task. If Fitzpatrick is there, the Bears have to take him and they can make it work.