5 players the Pittsburgh Steelers can build their future team around

Steelers can build around Minkah Fitzpatrick

I’m not going to sit here and pretend that Minkah Fitzpatrick was the same All-Pro defender in 2021 that he was in the two years prior. From 2019-2020, no defensive back had more splash players than Fitzpatrick. However, those were few and far between this year.

Still, Minkah hasn’t been nearly as bad as his Pro Football Focus grade would lead you to believe, and he’s actually been rock-solid in coverage over the second half of the 2021 season. When it comes to Steelers you can build a team around, the talented, young safety is still near the top of the list, and it’s only a matter of time before he’s a game-changer again.

While this hasn’t been Minkah’s best season, it’s important to remember that he turned just 25 years old in November and has a remarkably bright future ahead of him.

Fitzpatrick is due for a massive contract extension as early as next offseason, and the Steelers will undoubtedly oblige. Fitzpatrick has Hall of Fame upside if he can get back to 2019-2020 form. I don’t think his astronomically good play in those seasons was just a fluke.