Minkah Fitzpatrick Best Served As Utility Player or Specialist

phins

6 years ago

Minkah Fitzpatrick is an excellent find for Miami… But will they will develop properly him?

Minkah Fitzpatrick is one of the young cornerstones the Miami Dolphins will build their future on. So far, Fitzpatrick has been an excellent all-purpose defender… But a fair question is will his ‘Swiss Army Knife’ role be the best course for his development?

Personally, I believe if kept at safety, he can be the next Earl Thomas, who many feel is the best cover safety in the entire league. But, unlike Thomas who has one job… Fitzpatrick will have to manage four. So in theory, there’s the potential for Fitzpatrick to have an even greater impact than Thomas… if he can master all his roles.

Minkah still doesn’t have a set position after being moved all over the secondary last season and not much will change this year. Coach Flores recently stated that Minkah will be used all over the place… as a corner, nickel corner, safety, and even as a linebacker.

Minkah’s Rookie season was a darn good one, especially with all thing considered. He played in every game and started in eleven. Over the course of those starts, he played 5 at safety, 3 at nickel back, and 3 at cornerback. His season stat line was 79 tackles, 2 interceptions, 9 passes defended, and 1 of those interceptions was a pick-six.

In addition, he’s proven to be a player that makes mistakes and learns from them, a very good tackler in open space, and doesn’t shy away from contact no matter what position he’s playing. He was also ranked as one of the top defenders in the Red Zone.

Fitzpatrick is smart, agile, fast… and tough as nails

Not too shabby.

As a cherry on the cake, Fitzpatrick also graded out as one of the best defenders against the pass in all of football. When you think about all his responsibilities as a rookie and the production, it was an amazing debut. Phinsnews lauded picking Fitzpatrick, and early on the film showed why.

Fitzpatrick will be a good one. The only question is will he be great?

Minkah Fitzpatrick isn’t your average rookie

Many of the best betting software solutions like Ace Pay Per Head, were touting this kid as a steal for us at #11 in the 2018 draft. So far, that prediction has been a winning bet.

In 2018 Minkah played all over the defensive secondary and it was a successful rookie season…

… But will this translate to the best possible career path for Minkah Fitzpatrick?

With a year under his belt, the sky is truly the limit. As a student of the game and true professional on and off the field, wise beyond his years would be one way to describe him. Maybe OCD and obsessive-compulsive would be another. However you slice it, Fitzpatrick is a player of rare mental and psychological qualities. But can anyone specialize in all those jobs?

Maybe this isn’t the case, though? Labels create boxes and boxes inhibit clear evaluation.

If we think about his list of ‘jobs’ as one job of mastering techniques and responsibilities applied across the field, his task sounds more workable. He has already successfully at coverage in both man and zone, inside and boundary.

The ‘new’ job of linebacker might make some blanch… But what’s the difference to playing the B Gap, as an example, in the run game if your title is safety or linebacker? Not much beyond LBs are bigger than Safeties and they need to be protected or given a free path through play calling. Remember that the vaunted run game of the 2018 Ravens was beaten by a Big Nickel and excellent scheming by the staff.

Flores will turn Fitzpatrick into a playmaker at every level of the field

Given all this, and the way Brian Flores was trained in teaching players diverse responsibility, Phinsnews thinks Fitzpatrick can shatter the mold and be a master of many trades…

… And this belief isn’t born from too much aqua colored Gatorade.

Although we saw some flashes of big-play potential last year with 2 interceptions and some big tackles down killing tackles, Fitzpatrick must turn up the dial to ‘eleven’ in 2019 with an increase in game-changing plays. Miami needs more than good to turn the corner, they need great.

While Phinsnews expects a sophomore boom, not slump, from him… to the skeptics’ point, we need to see it to believe it. But If Brian Flores is the real deal, and more than just a ‘linebackers coach’, expect a breakout season from Fitzpatrick in 2019.

What are the rest of the Miami Dolphins News fans thoughts and expectations for Minkah for this upcoming season?

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