Fitzpatrick eager to prove Dolphins made right pick
Editor’s note: This continues a series spotlighting members of the team individually. In addition to reliving highlights and lowlights of the past season, we’ll provide analysis and criticism, plus take a look at how each player fifits — or doesn’t fifit — into the team’s plans for 2018.
Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick arrived in South
DAVIE — Florida happy to be taken 11th overall and saying it was a goal, but insisting it wasn’t an end goal.
“I didn’t come here just to be a fifirst- round pick,” he said. “I wanted to be a great player here and establish a great legacy here.”
Fitzpatrick did that at Alabama, drawing rare praise from coach Nick Saban. Given Saban’s relationship with Dolphins coach Adam Gase, there’s no question the Dolphins received a full scouting
report from Saban before making the pick.
“He’s probably about as advertised,” defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. “He’s really sharp. He’s thirsty for knowledge and for more, and we’re trying to overload him a little bit. We keep giving him more and he keeps taking it. He spends a lot of extra time in the building on his own, working out, studying film.”
One person Fitzpatrick hopes to impress is owner Stephen Ross, who reportedly had to be sold on the team drafting Fitzpatrick.
“I heard about it,” Fitzpatrick said. “He’s a businessman, so he’s going to see the business side of everything. It’s a little extra motivation just to prove that I am the worthy pick, that I deserve to be here.”
The study time Fitzpatrick puts in is important for any rookie, but that much more so for a player who’s seeing rep sat strong safety, free safety and nickel. His spring reps were about evenly distributed among the three, with more wrinkles to come in training camp.
The Dolphins have kicked around the possibility of fielding three safeties, with Fitzpatrick lining up alongside Res had Jones and T. J. McDonald. As for now, all accounts say Fitzpatrick isn’t overwhelmed.
“They’re not putting too much on me, but they’re definitely putting a lot on me at the same time,” he said during organized team activities.
Some spring workouts were open to the media but many were not.
“He’s gotten his hands on a lot of balls,” Gase said. “He’s had a few interceptions. He seems to be all over the place.”