Denver Broncos: Let’s draft Minkah Fitzpatrick
By Bruce Matson
Let’s take a look at Minkah Fitzpatrick, defensive back from Alabama, and how he could potentially make a difference for the Denver Broncos’ defense.
The Denver Broncos have the fifth pick in the NFL Draft and they have a lot options with what they could do with the pick. This year, they could potentially trade back, trade up a few spots or stay put and take the best player available.
The fifth pick in the draft holds a lot of draft capital and it gives them a lot of room to work with. The more draft capital you have, the more you can do with your picks.
Here’s a list of the previous players that we previously covered for Denver’s first-round draft pick in the “Let’s Draft” series:
The goal with this series is to provide a snap shot of all the possibilities the Broncos could do with their first round pick. Also, it’s a good opportunity to provide an overview of some of the top draft prospects in the draft. Even if the Broncos aren’t interested in some of these players, it’s still good to explore every possible scenario just in case they do decide to take an alternative route in the draft.
Fitzpatrick was a five-star recruit who was ranked fifth amongst all corner backs in his recruiting class by 247Sports. He was a decorated prospect who received offer letters from 30 different collegiate programs, Fitzpatrick was one the best prospects in his recruiting class.
He broke out during his freshman season with 30 solo tackles, two sacks and two interceptions. Fitzpatrick was named Freshman All-American by the Sporting News and earned Freshman All-SEC Team honors.
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During his sophomore season he tallied 66 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and six interceptions. He was one of the best defensive backs in the country and he was named first team All-American by the Associate Press. Fitzpatrick was also a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.
This season, he racked up 60 total tackles, 1.5 sacks and one interception. He won the Chuck Bednarik and Jim Thorpe Awards while also being a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski trophy. Fitzpatrick finished his career at Alabama as one of the top players in the nation.
Fitzpatrick is a versatile safety who can play strong safety, free safety, and corner back. He has the speed to match up with just about any wide receiver in the league and is the most talented safety in this draft class. At 6-1 and 202pounds, Fitzpatrick has the size to compete at the NFL level. He was also clocked with a 4.3-second 40-yard dash. He’s a tremendous athlete and he should develop into a tremendous playmaker at the next level.
There’s not more to say, Fitzpatrick is the real deal and if it wasn’t a quarterback-driven draft, he would be in consideration for the first overall pick. If the Broncos don’t trade out to another draft slot, Fitzpatrick might be their safest option. After the first two quarterbacks get selected in the draft (Josh Rosen and Sam Darnold) things get a little bit sketchy. Fitzpatrick has the athleticism, college production and the accolades to be a successful player at the next level.
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Quarterback is a major position of need for the Broncos, but the best move is to take the best player available, and Fitzpatrick will definitely be the best player on the board if he’s available when the Broncos pick. He’s a can’t miss prospect and would be a perfect fit for the Broncos’ defense.