Steelers trading for Minkah Fitzpatrick was a smart move

The Steelers recently traded for Dolphins defensive back, Minkah Fitzpatrick. Here’s why it was a smart decision for Pittsburgh.

The Pittsburgh Steelers pulled a move that was rather out of the ordinary: They traded a first-round draft choice to the Miami Dolphins to acquire defensive back, Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Twitter was blowing up yesterday, as fans voiced their opinion of Pittsburgh’s bold move. While much of Steelers Nation was in favor of the deal that included sending our first-round pick to Miami in exchange for Fitzpatrick, others were displeased.

Personally, I think this was more than just a bold move by the Steelers, but a smart move as well.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a competitive NFL team for quite some time, and they haven’t had a losing record since 2003 when they went 6-10 on the season.

Part of the issue with winning all the time means that your team is constantly selecting late in the NFL Draft. Because of this (and a few poor decisions on the part of Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin), Pittsburgh has missed on players too often in recent years.

When selecting in the first or second round of the draft, you should be taking players who will be starters for your football team. However, a few misses can really set back the franchise.

Kevin Colbert has drafted players like Artie Burns (2016), Bud Dupree (2015), and Jarvis Jones (2013) in the first round in recent years. Though it is still unclear where the Steelers will finish in 2019, it’s because of these misses that makes it okay to use your first-round pick on trading for a player who is already proven.

Though Minkah Fitzpatrick has just one year of experience under his belt, he has shown a lot of promise. The former 11th overall pick was considered one of the best prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Just because a team is drafting in the first round doesn’t mean that they are going to get a first-round caliber player. The Steelers know this from first-hand experience.

When a versatile defensive back who can play free safe became available, the Steelers pounced on him. Miami was admittedly cleaning house, and Colbert and Tomlin had a high grade on him in last year’s draft.

It’s obviously too early to tell who the winner was of this trade, and we may not have the answer to that for years down the line. However, I give credit to Kevin Colbert for going out and grabbing a potential cornerstone football player.

Minkah Fitzpatrick is a talented defensive back with three years left on his rookie deal. The Steelers got a player from the position they may have drafted in the first round next year anyway. The only difference is he can help the team right now.