Pittsburgh Steelers: Top 5 players from the 2019 season

3. Minkah Fitzpatrick, S

Two games into the season, the Steelers sent a 2020 first-round pick, a 2021 fifth-round pick and a 2021 sixth-round pick to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for Fitzpatrick, a 2020 fourth-round pick, and a 2021 seventh-round pick. The second-year safety made an immediate impact, intercepting a pass and forcing a fumble in his first game with the Steelers.

Pittsburgh trading for Fitzpatrick came as a surprise. While the Alabama product made it clear he wanted out of Miami, the Steelers seemed like an unusual suitor. Losing Sean Davis left Pittsburgh light-handed at safety, but the team faced other issues. With Ben Roethlisberger done for the year and the team sitting at 0-2, it looked like Pittsburgh’s season was over.

The Steelers did recover and barely miss the playoffs due to a late-season collapse, but adding an All-Pro safety at the team’s low-water mark still stands out as strange. The move was brilliant, but what took so long to finally add that missing piece in the secondary?

In just his second season in the league, Fitzpatrick intercepted a team-high five passes, recorded nine passes defensed and scored a touchdown. The Associated Press selected Fitzpatrick as a First-Team All-Pro. With up to three years left on Fitzpatrick’s rookie deal, the Steelers finally have their safety of the future.