Minkah Fitzpatrick

[Fire Goodell]

I jokingly said before this guy is the next E-D Reed but at the halfway point of this season, it looks like this dude is on his way to an all-pro season. You could say that without his pick 6 (a 10-14 point shift), last Sunday would be an L. The trade is already proving to be a difference maker.

From NFL.com - Prior to Fitzpatrick's Week 3 arrival, Pittsburgh's opposing QBs had a 131.3 passer rating. That figure has plummeted to 74.6 with Fitzpatrick roaming the secondary. You want a star when you give up a first-round pick ... the Steelers got one

[DesertSteel]

Even if he is all-pro, I still think we should have kept the draft pick! Said me never.

[FrancoLambert]

4 picks in 6 games...yeah, I’ll take it...a top tier safety.

[steelreserve]

He sure beats the dogshit out of any other DB we've taken with a first-round pick since that one dude with the long hair, which was about 20 years ago now ...

[tube517]

4 picks in 6 games...yeah, I’ll take it...a top tier safety.

He makes a great team with Bush. They are both always around the ball or close to it.

Even on completions for the other side, MFF is always close by and you don't see those long YAC gains as much as before (as opposed to Mike Mitchell celebrating 10 yard gains by the opposing RB)

[Fire Goodell]

He makes a great team with Bush. They are both always around the ball or close to it.

Even on completions for the other side, MFF is always close by and you don't see those long YAC gains as much as before (as opposed to Mike Mitchell celebrating 10 yard gains by the opposing RB)

His tackling is definitely not flashy (doesn't go for the big hit, but with today's rules I'm totally OK with that), but gets it done. I notice if he's not there in time to make a play on the ball he chops the ballcarrier down for no additional gain. He's a great player.

[ALLD]

Steelers know how to draft WRs, but miss on lots of DBs. A trade does not guarantee a known quantity will perform either, but the Steelers did the right thing with Fitz.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

He makes a great team with Bush. They are both always around the ball or close to it.

Even on completions for the other side, MFF is always close by and you don't see those long YAC gains as much as before (as opposed to Mike Mitchell celebrating 10 yard gains by the opposing RB)

Exactly! Fitzpatrick is the BPA with the Steelers 2020 #1 pick. Anybody complaining about Fitzpatrick only needs to think of Mike Mitchell coming in to be the 2nd guy in on a tackle for 20 yard reception and celebrating like he won the Super Bowl.

Some will bitch about having a secondary of Mike Mitchell, Will Allen, Antowan Blake, Brandon Boykin, Will Gay.....yet bitch worse the Steelers gave up a draft pick to add Fitzpatrick to a secondary of Haden, Nelson, Sutton, Hilton, Edmunds.

[st33lersguy]

After 6 games this looks like a really good trade, and he's been a difference maker. He has helped improve the defense and they don't win on Sunday without his play. I don't think it's a stretch to call him the team's 2nd best player after Watt

[86WARD]

No brainer.

[Craic]

Exactly! Fitzpatrick is the BPA with the Steelers 2020 #1 pick. Anybody complaining about Fitzpatrick only needs to think of Mike Mitchell coming in to be the 2nd guy in on a tackle for 20 yard reception and celebrating like he won the Super Bowl.

Some will bitch about having a secondary of Mike Mitchell, Will Allen, Antowan Blake, Brandon Boykin, Will Gay.....yet bitch worse the Steelers gave up a draft pick to add Fitzpatrick to a secondary of Haden, Nelson, Sutton, Hilton, Edmunds.

For me, the only problem in the trade is Ben R. Had this been three years ago, I would have been completely for it without any hesitation when it happened. Had it been a year or two in the future and we have our QB or at least the guy we're committed to for 2-3 years? I'd have been completely for it at the time of the trade. But, giving away our first pick when it looks like that pick will be a top 10 if not top 5 pick at the very time when we are going to need to find a franchise QB just did not seem a wise choice to me. It still doesn't. I don't go for the hindsight game. Now, am I glad we made the trade? With hindsight, absolutely. We're in striking distance of first place in our division with need of help from just one team. Any team that plays the Ravens. We're also in striking distance of the playoffs. So the traded pick now has a lot less value than it looked to have in week 3. But that doesn't erase the facts at the time the trade was made.

Why do I say that? Because a team with a secondary you mentioned above without Fitzpatrick but with a franchise QB is still a playoff viable team year in and year out. That same team with Fitzpatrick and without a franchise QB is not. They're looking for help most years, or outright can't get in. (Again, this is all predicated on being a few minutes from choosing to make the trade and not knowing the future).

[BlackAndGold]

The 2020 draft is already an A+.

This team has 3 young cornerstones on defense in Watt/Bush/Fitzpatrick and that is exciting to know.

[steelreserve]

Why do I say that? Because a team with a secondary you mentioned above without Fitzpatrick but with a franchise QB is still a playoff viable team year in and year out. That same team with Fitzpatrick and without a franchise QB is not. They're looking for help most years, or outright can't get in. (Again, this is all predicated on being a few minutes from choosing to make the trade and not knowing the future).

When it comes down to it, what were we going to do with the 2020 R1 pick? This year's QB class is looking like it's going to s-u-u-u-u-u-c-k.

We probably weren't going to have a top-3 pick even without Fitzpatrick on the team, so our choices would be shitty. Trade into the top 3 for one of the "name" (but still REALLY uncertain) prospects, thereby giving up two draft picks anyway for a QB prospect who is about as shaky as can be for that investment ... Don't move and make an extreme reach for a really really big long shot from like the #10-15 pick ... Draft a non-QB because our options suck.

There's also the added complication that if you make a big bet on a blue-chip QB in high R1, you are committing to have BOTH Ben and Rudolph out the door in about two years, and I don't really see anything out there that presents a compelling case to make that move.

If Rudolph turns out to suck, then we have one more year of Ben to give us breathing room to make a move. If Rudolph sucks AND Ben is done, then we're just extremely unlucky and there's only so much you can do in those circumstances.

[GoSlash27]

This year's QB class is looking like it's going to s-u-u-u-u-u-c-k.

For real. Nate Stanley is far and away the most productive QB in the Big 10, and he's not terribly impressive IMO. Even compared to professional no- names who preceded him (CJ Beathard, Ricky Stanzi) he's just 'meh'. This is a weak QB class.

And for those who say we can make it with a franchise QB and weak secondary, I'd like to cite the Pittsburgh Steelers for about the last 5 years.

[Craic]

When it comes down to it, what were we going to do with the 2020 R1 pick? This year's QB class is looking like it's going to s-u-u-u-u-u-c-k.

We probably weren't going to have a top-3 pick even without Fitzpatrick on the team, so our choices would be shitty. Trade into the top 3 for one of the "name" (but still REALLY uncertain) prospects, thereby giving up two draft picks anyway for a QB prospect who is about as shaky as can be for that investment ... Don't move and make an extreme reach for a really really big long shot from like the #10-15 pick ... Draft a non-QB because our options suck.

There's also the added complication that if you make a big bet on a blue-chip QB in high R1, you are committing to have BOTH Ben and Rudolph out the door in about two years, and I don't really see anything out there that presents a compelling case to make that move.

If Rudolph turns out to suck, then we have one more year of Ben to give us breathing room to make a move. If Rudolph sucks AND Ben is done, then we're just extremely unlucky and there's only so much you can do in those circumstances.

I only had to get through your first sentence. There is a very easy answer.

Trade. Down. Pick up some mediocre team's first and third. Then next year, bundle them with your first to go get the guy you want. It's not a one-draft scenario here.

[Butch]

I was always ok with this pick. Ben is coming back next year and I expect he will be back to leading the offense as he has in previous seasons. I think it was a no brainer that Minkah would make the D better not only this year but for a few years to come. It keeps our Super Bowl window open when Ben comes back.

As for his backup I think we will go with Rudolph for a while. He is not where he needs to be just yet but the time he is getting this year is invaluable. How many years did it take Bradshaw to develop? Hopefully Mason can do the same thing and we will be set when ever Ben hangs it up.

[Craic]

I was always ok with this pick. Ben is coming back next year and I expect he will be back to leading the offense as he has in previous seasons. I think it was a no brainer that Minkah would make the D better not only this year but for a few years to come. It keeps our Super Bowl window open when Ben comes back.

As for his backup I think we will go with Rudolph for a while. He is not where he needs to be just yet but the time he is getting this year is invaluable. How many years did it take Bradshaw to develop? Hopefully Mason can do the same thing and we will be set when ever Ben hangs it up.

See, that's not what I'm so sure about. I hope it is true. But, the reality is that Ben is thirty-seven years old. Not only will his body have to heal properly but he'll have to overcome any atrophy to the arm as well not to mention the rest of his body. I know he wants to return, but at some point, we're staring father time in the face and he has never lost.

[steelreserve]

I only had to get through your first sentence. There is a very easy answer.

Trade. Down. Pick up some mediocre team's first and third. Then next year, bundle them with your first to go get the guy you want. It's not a one-draft scenario here.

That still means you're not getting a QB in 2020. Might as well make the same move in 2021 and use future picks to make the deal instead. And in the meantime, you got a badass safety in 2019 instead of the privilege of gambling a high draft pick on it later.

Like, I get the point you were making, but the entire premise depended on needing to take a QB in 2020. If we wait until 2021, the urgency of keeping that particular pick goes away and you use other stuff (if you even need to). More than one way to skin a cat.

[Craic]

The problem with your scenario is that it isn't that easy to move up high enough for a pick in the top of the first round. But to have two first round picks alters that. It is much, much easier to get someone to deal for two first round picks and jump into the top five or eight. 2 mid first round picks that average to two 18th overall picks will net you will net you a 4th overall pick. By comparison, You'd have to bundle your entire 2021 class of picks to move up to the 5th overall pick. Seems to me the better choice is picking up a second 2021 pick in 2020. It'd cost a lot less.

[steelreserve]

The problem with your scenario is that it isn't that easy to move up high enough for a pick in the top of the first round. But to have two first round picks alters that. It is much, much easier to get someone to deal for two first round picks and jump into the top five or eight. 2 mid first round picks that average to two 18th overall picks will net you will net you a 4th overall pick. By comparison, You'd have to bundle your entire 2021 class of picks to move up to the 5th overall pick. Seems to me the better choice is picking up a second 2021 pick in 2020. It'd cost a lot less.

Well yeah, IF we need a QB in the top 5. We've got a good chance we won't, or won't yet.

Also, if you are in a draft with better QBs, maybe you don't have to move all the way up that high. If you're lucky, you could snag one at like 10-15 from those 3+ QB classes or even lower, and that's a lot less expensive. Being patient pays off big time there if you ask me.

[GoSlash27]

That still means you're not getting a QB in 2020. Might as well make the same move in 2021 and use future picks to make the deal instead.

Or simply wait until you suck and get better picks for free. And then continue to suck until a good QB actually comes along. And then hope that he's not a bust.

Personally, I'd rather field the best team we can in any given year.

[Edman]

If the Steelers reach the playoffs with Rudolph in 2019, Ben’s days are numbered in Pittsburgh. Regardless of what you think of his play, Rudy has been delivering winning football. He is the reason the Steelers even have a pulse and possibly dreams of a division title after a disastrous 0-3 start. It hasn’t been totally pretty so far, but neither was Ben in 2004. He was very pedestrian that year, but 15-1 speaks for itself. Rudy has the team believing again, even if he isn’t totally “the guy” just yet.

Rudolph isn’t Charlie Batch or Case Keenum. He is a young quarterback making his sixth start and Tomlin’s baby. His own personal project. One he hasn’t had since he was hired. Tomlin inherited a franchise quarterback, now he has a quarterback he can call his own. It will take Rudolph completely going off a cliff, and the 2019 season to crash and burn for Ben to just be handed the starting keys back in 2020. These next eight weeks will be telling.

[86WARD]

For me, the only problem in the trade is Ben R. Had this been three years ago, I would have been completely for it without any hesitation when it happened. Had it been a year or two in the future and we have our QB or at least the guy we're committed to for 2-3 years? I'd have been completely for it at the time of the trade. But, giving away our first pick when it looks like that pick will be a top 10 if not top 5 pick at the very time when we are going to need to find a franchise QB just did not seem a wise choice to me. It still doesn't. I don't go for the hindsight game. Now, am I glad we made the trade? With hindsight, absolutely. We're in striking distance of first place in our division with need of help from just one team. Any team that plays the Ravens. We're also in striking distance of the playoffs. So the traded pick now has a lot less value than it looked to have in week 3. But that doesn't erase the facts at the time the trade was made.

Why do I say that? Because a team with a secondary you mentioned above without Fitzpatrick but with a franchise QB is still a playoff viable team year in and year out. That same team with Fitzpatrick and without a franchise QB is not. They're looking for help most years, or outright can't get in. (Again, this is all predicated on being a few minutes from choosing to make the trade and not knowing the future).

None of these QBs coming out are sure things...not even close. It’s nothing they can’t make he same gamble next season or the year after that. A QB doesn’t have to be drafted in the Top-5 to be a franchise QB. Without looking, I’m not sure what point in the draft most of your franchise QBs come, but you can name a whole lot that aren’t in the Top-5 to Top-10...just off the top of my head...Brady, Wilson and Brees weren’t even first round picks. I think people over value the first round pick. Fitzpatrick was a sure thing. You take the sure thing 100 out of 100 times over the unknown. Before/in hindsight...either way, that trade is the right move.

[teegre]

As I stated on the day of the trade (and in the many threads since then):

Rudolph + Fitzpatrick > 2020QB + Davis

[Devil's D]

I hated the trade. It has been what 20 years since the Steelers had a top 10 draft pick? And, they waste that opportunity on a safety?

Then…….he started playing…….He is every bit worth even a top 5 pick in 2020 to this team, and his impact has vastly decreased the value the Dolphins will get on draft day. Unlike me, the Steelers knew that Fitzpatrick was a sure thing, and the trade was an absolute steal. It probably will not rival the Bettis trade, but it is in the same neighborhood.

The trade up for Bush, and the Fitzpatrick trade look like two savvy moves by a smart organization that wants to maximize its chance of winning while they still have a HOF QB on the roster.

[tube517]

One of the reasons that I liked the trade: MFF is still on his rookie contract. We have him for 3 years and I think a possible 4th (I may be wrong, can't remember contract). You can't get this quality type of player for that kind of bargain. No brainer.

[43Hitman]

All that needs to be said for Minkah is that we have 22 take aways at the half way point of the season. We had 15 all of last year. Stellar move by the FO and Tomlin.

[steel striker]

To me well worth the trade and, he has made a big difference to this team.

[steelreserve]

Or simply wait until you suck and get better picks for free. And then continue to suck until a good QB actually comes along. And then hope that he's not a bust.

Personally, I'd rather field the best team we can in any given year.

In the long term, teams that suck and think the high draft picks will fix it, end up sucking after the high draft picks too.

Maybe it helps them for a season or two, but then they always blow it, because the way you get top-10 draft picks is by making more bad decisions than good ones in general.

It's no coincidence that the same 8 or 10 teams are always the ones coming back to the bottom of the pile. Roughly the Browns, Cardinals, Jets, Dolphins, Bills, Raiders, Bengals, Redskins, and Bucs. They're like the lifelong Democrat voters of the NFL. "But those draft picks are free!"

[EzraTank]

The trade will be tied to Ben's immediate future. If Mason isn't the answer (which I'm leaning towards) and Ben can play another 1-3 years (allowing us to draft a QB) then the trade is a win. If Mason shits the bed and Ben turns into Bradshaw 2.0 (elbow ending career) then the trade is a wash since Fitz can play.