Former Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick reflects on first career NFL start
By Jake Rill
Published:
It didn’t take long for Minkah Fitzpatrick to make his first NFL start.
Last Sunday, Fitzpatrick started for the Miami Dolphins in their game against the Oakland Raiders, the third game of Fitzpatrick’s rookie season. The former Alabama defensive back collected 10 tackles, helping the Dolphins improve to 3-0 with a 28-20 win.
“It was awesome,” Fitzpatrick said, according to AL.com. “It was a whole lot of fun. We could’ve played better on the first couple of series, but we went out there, we finished. Like I said, it was a lot of fun. It was a blessing, for real. I’m just excited for next week.”
Fitzpatrick had nine tackles over his first two career games, wins over the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets, before earning a start against the Raiders.
However, there were some things that Miami defensive coordinator Matt Burke noted that Fitzpatrick can improve on moving forward.
“He has to wrap up better,” Burke said, per AL.com. “A couple of times he’s trying to cut-tackle and just throw his shoulder in there, and he can’t do that. Over the long haul, that’s going to lead to more missed tackles, so he has to correct that part of it in terms of his technique.”
Fitzpatrick played at Alabama from 2015-17, collecting 171 tackles and nine interceptions over three seasons. He was selected by the Dolphins with the No. 11 pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
It is likely that Fitzpatrick continues to improve and corrects the issues that Burke noted, as he possesses the skills to eventually become an elite NFL defender.
Jake Rill contributes to news coverage for Saturday Down South. He has covered the SEC since 2016.
