There’s often a lot of context lost in what it means to be a rookie in the National Football League. With so much time and effort now put into the pre-draft process — quite frankly many of those efforts have no translation to a football field — it’s easy for rookies to feel as though they’re behind from the jump. They’ve lost months of preparations for a 16 game season and on top of that have to assimilate to a new locker room and level of competition.
We saw many of these variables impact rookie defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick last season. And while Fitzpatrick was still quite good, the changes kept him on his toes. No variable put Fitzpatrick under more pressure than his own team, however. Due to injury, scheme and game planning, Fitzpatrick was tasked with playing all over the field — presenting a totally different set of challenges.
But now, after a full season in the pros, Minkah has drawn on that experience to better prepare him for life in the NFL. First and foremost, Fitzpatrick is preparing his body for whatever demands are placed upon him. So much so that his off-season weight (204 pounds) sits in between where he would prefer to be if he were playing either safety or cornerback. How’s that for maturity from a second year pro?
But even more context on the mentality of Fitzpatrick can be unearthed by listening to his guest spot on the Miami Dolphins podcast, The Audible, with Kim Bokamper and John Congemi.
“I look back on last year and just say it was a challenge…we didn’t really know exactly what was going to happen when I got here, if I was going to play safety, corner, nickel or whatever it may be,” said Fitzpatrick. “And I played every one of those. And it’s not really easy to do that…but I think it definitely prepared me…it’s not going to get much harder than that. You’re never going to be asked to play a whole different position on a Saturday or a Friday.”
The good news for Fitzpatrick? In addition to have experienced as challenging a gauntlet of positions as possible, the Dolphins would love to get him settled into one. And coach Brian Flores has made player development a point of emphasis this off-season, so you know the team is looking to expand Fitzpatrick’s comfort level even more.
