Bama in the NFL: Minkah Fitzpatrick Setting New Standard With Pittsburgh Steelers

He may not have been drafted by the franchise, but the former Alabama standout is already among Pittsburgh's leaders in All-Pro seasons.

Author:
Christopher Walsh
Publish date:
Aug 21, 2023 2:00 PM EDT

In this story:

Alabama Crimson Tide

He can laugh about it now. At least a lot more than the time in question. But former Alabama Crimson Tide standout defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick recently made an admission about his first few games with the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2019, and something that most people assumed but never knew for sure.

He didn't know the playbook. Like at all. How could he?

"They said you got the post, you got the blitz, and you got the flat and that was it," he recently said on the Not Just Football With Cam Heyward podcast. "That's all I knew. That's it. I was learning as we were going."

Now for the explanation, and context. Even though the Steelers have had tremendous success over the years, it was mostly without a lot of help from Crimson Tide players. Until running back Najee Harris in 2022, the program's lone first-round draft selection out of Alabama was fullback Butch Avinger in 1951, and he never played a regular-season down for Pittsburgh.

Deshea Townsend defied the odds for years at cornerback, from 1998-2009, and both Anthony Madison and Levi Wallace have sort of followed suit at the position.

But the player who changed things in that respect, just like he helped changed the attitude of the Steelers defense, was Fitzpatrick. The three-time All-Pro may be the best safety in the NFL.

However, he wasn't drafted buy the Steelers. After winning the Chuck Bednarik Award as the nation's top defender, the Jim Thorpe Award as the most outstanding defensive back, and winning his second national championship in 2017, he was selected No. 11-overall by the Miami Dolphins.

Despite starting the season as a backup, and then being inserted at free safety, he finished his rookie season with 80 total tackles (51 solo), two interceptions, and nine passes defended. But Fitzpatrick didn't think he was being used to the best of his ability, or like the direction of the team, and after the 59-10 loss to the Ravens to open the 2019 season he asked for a trade. A week later he made six tackles and recovered a fumble, but the Dolphins were crushed by the Patriots, 43-0.

So the Dolphins traded him to the Steelers for essentially a 2020 first-round pick (they swapped four other picks), and Pittsburgh immediately plugged him into the lineup for the Week 3 game against the 49ers. He had an interception, a forced fumble and five tackles.

Now, at age 26, he's been named All-Pro as many times as Donnie Shell. A fourth time would tie Troy Polamalu, and a fifth would match Rod Woodson's five, trying him for the most of any Steelers safety. The overall franchise record is six, by Nick Saban's former college teammate at Kent State, Jack Lambert, along with Jack Ham, Dermontti Dawson, and Alan Faneca. The record of 10 Pro Bowl selections by Mean Joe Green might be a little tougher to match, but one never knows.

"When you have a guy come in that demands a lot of attention and respect, it helps the unit as a whole," defensive lineman T.J. Watt said. "When one guy is creating all those turnovers, you get that blood in the water and it makes everybody around them better and that much more hungry to make turnovers and make plays. I think we've all just been feeding off each other for these past four or five years."

Bama in the NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers

The Franchise

American Football Conference

North Division

Team Colors: Black and Gold

Founded: 1933, the fifth-oldest franchise in the National Football League was originally known as the Pittsburgh Pirates (1933-39).

Stadium: Acrisure Stadium (capacity 68,400)

Playing Surface: Natural Grass

Training Camp: Saint Vincent College

All-Time Alabama Players

Includes Pittsburgh Pirates

Ryan Anderson, OLB, 2022
Buddy Aydelette, OT, 1987
Mark Barron, DB, 2019
Fernando Bryant, DB, 2008
Isaiah Buggs, DT, 2019 - 2021
Tom Calvin, RB, 1952 - 1955
Jackie Cline, DE, 1987
Russ Craft, DB/RB, 1954
Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB, 2019 - 2021
Preston Gothard, TE, 1985 - 1988
Najee Harris, RB, 2021 - 2022
J. C. Hassenauer, C, 2019 - 2022
Tony Holm, RB/LB, 1933
Bobby Luna, DB, 1959
Anthony Madison, DB, 2006 - 2008, 2009 - 2010
Freddie Milons, WR, 2003
Norm Mosley, RB, 1948
Ben Smith, OE/DE, 1934 - 1935
Deshea Townsend, DB, 1998 - 2009
Levi Wallace, CB, 2022

Crimson Tide Drafted Players


Year	Player	Pos.	Round	Pick	Overall
1940	Cary Cox	C	11	3	93
1948	John Wozniak	G	5	9	34
1949	Bob Hood	E	10	5	96
1951	Clarence "Butch" Avinger	B	1	9
1951	MIke Mizerany	G	14	6	165
1951	Tommy Calvin	B	25	7	298
1952	Bobby Wilson	B	26	5	305
1955	George Mason	T	5	5	54
1956	Jim Emmons	T	14	2	159
1956	Wes Thompson	T	29	3	340
1977	Paul Harris	LB	6	20	159
1991	Efrum Thomas	CB	11	18	296
1998	Deshea Townsend	CB	4	25	117
2018	Joshua Frazier	DT	7	28	246
2019	Isaiah Buggs	DT	6	19	192
2021	Najee Harris	RB	1	24	24

Super Bowl Appearances

Super Bowl XL (Feb. 5, 2006)

Cornerback Deshea Townsend had six tackles, including a big stop of fullback Mack Strong just shy of a first down, as the Steelers limited the Seahawks' big plays en route to a 31-10 victory. Shaun Alexander had 20 carries, 95 yards, but did not find the end zone for Seattle.

Super Bowl XLIII (Feb. 1, 2009)

Townsend had three tackles and Anthony Madison two, both as reserves, as Pittsburgh topped Arizona 27-23. Fernando Bryant was also on the Steelers. After the Cardinals scored 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to take the lead, the Steelers countered with a game-winning drive and Ben Roethlisberger's 6-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds left.

Super Bowl XLV (Feb. 6, 2011)

Madison made two tackles as a reserve, but Aaron Rodgers connected on three touchdown passes as the Packers beat the Steelers, 31-25. Rodgers threw for 304 yards to be named game MVP.

Major Awards/Honors

All-Pro

Minkah Fitzpatrick (3): 2019, 2020, 2022

Pro Bowl

Minkah Fitzpatrick (3): 2019, 2020, 2022

Najee Harris (1): 2021

NFL interceptions co-leader (2022): Minkah Fitzpatrick

Crimson Tide NFL Rundown: Pittsburgh Steelers

In conjunction with our revamped Bama in the NFL Database, this is the 27th story in a series examining the team-by-team history of Alabama's former players in the NFL.

AFC