Oakland Raiders: Minkah Fitzpatrick, 2018 NFL Draft Profile

Alabama Crimson Tide safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is the best defensive back prospect in 2018 NFL Draft. Here is what he could bring to the Oakland Raiders.

The 2018 NFL Draft looks to be a loaded one at several position groups. We should expect four quarterbacks to go in the first round, as well as several outstanding defensive players. The one defensive back that is generating the most buzz is Alabama Crimson Tide safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. What if he fell to the Oakland Raiders are No. 9 or No. 10?

After maybe North Carolina State Wolfpack defensive end Bradley Chubb, Fitzpatrick could be the best defensive prospect in the upcoming draft. Even as an underclassmen playing for Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa, Fitzpatrick made a name for himself early with outstanding ball skills.

His hands in the defensive backfield remind us a bit of what New York Giants safety Landon Collins did at Alabama before him. Fitzpatrick’s two best pro comparisons might be Tyrann Mathieu of the Arizona Cardinals and Jalen Ramsey of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Being compared to Collins, Mathieu and Ramsey is huge praise for Fitzpatrick’s talent, but he was a truly outstanding player in college for Alabama.

Fitzpatrick won two national titles and played in a third in his three years at Alabama. He leaves Tuscaloosa with 171 total tackles (110 solo, 61 assists), 24 pass breakups, 16.5 tackles for a loss of yardage, nine interceptions, 5.0 quarterback sacks, four defensive touchdowns and two forced fumbles.

In his three years in school, Fitzpatrick was a two-time All-American, a two-time first team All-SEC. He won the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Jim Thorpe Award in his junior season in 2017. His production speaks for itself. Fitzpatrick didn’t need a fourth year of school to go in the top-10 of an NFL Draft.

Ideally, Fitzpatrick would play free safety at the next level. It would be a great fit for him in Oakland. This is because last year’s starting free safety Reggie Nelson is hitting free agency this spring. His production suffered in year two with the Raiders. Nelson could be back with the Raiders, since he used to work with defensive coordinator Paul Guenther while with the Cincinnati Bengals. However, Fitzpatrick would be an immediate upgrade over Nelson this offseason.

Though free safety is the best spot for Fitzpatrick to showcase his playmaking ability, he could play in several spots in an NFL defense. In essence, just see what Mathieu does for the Cardinals and Ramsey does for the Jaguars. That’s what you could be getting out of Fitzpatrick at the next level.

This is a guy that could be a candidate for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2018. Seeing him play alongside Gareon Conley, Karl Joseph and Obi Melifonwu could have Raider Nation excited about their defensive backfield going forward. Given his versatility at defensive back, it will be hard to force Fitzpatrick off the field.

That being said, there are four things we do have to keep in mind with Fitzpatrick heading into the NFL Draft process. The first being that he might be off the board before the Raiders pick at No. 9 or No. 10. He could be a candidate to trade up for, but how far would the Raiders be willing to reach for a defensive player?

The second and third concerns are about Fitzpatrick’s physical makeup. He’s only 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds. Does he have the frame to sustain playing a ton of snaps at the next level? What about his foot speed? Could that be an issue as well if he is asked to cover a ton of space as a single-high safety?

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Finally, you knew this one was coming. It’s no secret that Saban loves to get the most out of his players at the college level. Often times, some of the best Crimson Tide players enter the NFL Draft a bit also-ran.

This doesn’t seem to be the case for Fitzpatrick, who does leave school a year early. However, you do have to wonder how much is left in the tank after being worked so hard down in Alabama. It’s not really an indictment of Fitzpatrick, just the Alabama program overall.

The bust potential with Fitzpatrick isn’t great. His ball skills and versatility in the defensive backfield should allow him to be a productive player from the jump. If he does underwhelm professionally, it will be due to his size and speed. He needs to land on a defensive staff that knows what it’s doing.

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The last thing he needs is to land on a New Orleans Saints defense from yesteryear, playing in compromising coverages he can’t win. That sort of coaching debacle would shatter even the best defensive back’s confidence. Oakland seems to be in good shape in that department after Guenther’s arrival.

So what are the chances Fitzpatrick falls to the Raiders at No. 9 or No. 10? For the sake of simplicity, the Raiders win the tiebreaker over the San Francisco 49ers and get the No. 9 pick. The earliest Fitzpatrick could go would be No. 4 to the Cleveland Browns with the Houston Texans’ pick. He could wind up going to the New York Jets at No. 6 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 7.

Those look to be the three teams the Raiders would have to compete with for the right to draft Fitzpatrick in the top-10 out of Alabama. For whatever reason, Fitzpatrick feels like a lock to go top-eight. That means the Raiders would have to mover up a few spots to get him.

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Overall, the Raiders’ best hope to get Fitzpatrick at No. 9 would involve all four top-tier quarterbacks going top-eight. Oakland would need to see guys like Chubb, Notre Dame guard Quenton Nelson and Penn State running back Saquon Barkley go top-eight as well. There is a path to getting Fitzpatrick at No. 9, maybe even No. 10. However, it’s slim and out of the Raiders control if they aren’t willing to move up.

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