If safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is on the board when the Baltimore Ravens pick, he may be way too good to pass up.
The Baltimore Ravens have plenty of positional needs, but I think it is safe to say defensive back isn’t one. With Eric Weddle and Tony Jefferson manning the safety position, and a plethora of talented cornerbacks, for once the Ravens are set at defensive back. However, there is one guy that could be a game-changer at the safety position: Minkah Fitzpatrick.
At the beginning of 2018, there was no way we would even be having this conversation. Minkah Fitzpatrick was projected to be a top-five pick, nowhere near the Ravens’ range. However, for some reason, Fitzpatrick has slid down mock draft boards. Plenty still have him going top 12, but there are some that have him sliding.
Fitzpatrick is by far one of the most talented football players in this draft. Playing football at Alabama, he learned under one of the games best coaches, Nick Saban. Saban has many times praised Fitzpatrick’s work ethic, leadership, and understanding of the game. Not only does Saban, who also has coached in the NFL, love Fitzpatrick, but his teammates do as well. Running back Damien Harris claimed that Minkah Fitzpatrick is “the standard of this (Alabama) program”.
Fitzpatrick on the field is a 6’1″, 205-pound beast. He can play anywhere on the field like safety, cornerback, and even hybrid linebacker. That could come in use for Baltimore, as they love to play the “dime” package, which means six defensive backs on the field. The Ravens struggled to cover tight ends in 2017 and Fitzpatrick could patch that problem. He is big enough to match their physicality and fast enough to keep up with them.
Minkah is an absolute playmaker at the safety position. In his career at Alabama, he had nine interceptions, with four of them returned for a touchdown. Just go watch the 100-yard pick-six he had against Arkansas his sophomore year and you’ll see what I am talking about. The ability to take it to the house after an interception is something the Ravens haven’t really had since Ed Reed.
Speaking of great safeties, who better to learn from than one of the best of all-time in Eric Weddle? Weddle is a locker room favorite, a hard worker, and also an intelligent player. Fitzpatrick is a mere image of Weddle as a player and having someone that is so alike himself as a player show him the ropes of the NFL and defensive schemes would prove beneficial. So, for Minkah to be able to learn under Weddle would be great for both the team and Fitzpatrick himself. Who knows, Minkah may pick up a thing or two (like tubs of ice cream!).
The Bottom Line:
In other words, Fitzpatrick embodies everything we look for when we say “Play like a Raven”. He is a really hard worker, an intelligent player, and a true leader in the locker room. Fitzpatrick may not drop to Baltimore at 16, but I think there is a chance he will. If he does, it should be a no-brainer for Ozzie Newsome.