If you had to do it all over again...

Setp 16, 2019. Would you make the Minkah trade again or would you rather have used that draft capital toward a franchise QB?

At the time of the trade, there were a few that didn't like it, like shaner82, with the thought it just wasn't worth trading a first round pick for a safety, no matter how good, when your QB situation was in flux. Gotta settle that first and draft capital is gold in that situation.

http://thesteelersfans.com/forums/threads/welcome-minkah-fitzpatrick.22704/

Minkah has been a darn good player, but he hasn't made us anything more than incrementally better. Not his fault, just the nature of the game and the position. There's an argument that it was still a good trade, but I'm not sure I buy it. Once Ben blew out his elbow the organization's entire focus should have been to find the next franchise QB. The trade for Minkah wasn't doing that.

 

Yes

No such thing as drafting a franchise quarterback

It’s a crap shoot on what you will really get

 

I'm good with the trade but hate how they use the player.

 

No, of course not. I would always draft a safety. Also, Minkah was always a tweener, even at Bama, and I am not a fan of that.

 

Minkah is a good player. Unless a guy is a generational talent, I'm just not big on valuing a safety at a 1st round pick level. Whether that's drafting one or trading one. I just think you can get a safety later that can do more or less the same job. Minkah had an amazing year last year, but what did he do this year that a different safety couldn't have done?

 

Absolutely would make the trade again. I do feel like Minkah is a bit overrated at times. Still, he is one of the better safeties in the game.

The Steelers were not going to use that pick on a QB anyway.

 

Especially lately. He should be the ball hawk roamer but because of the lack of quality secondary play and lack of stopping the run he is being used for that.

 

IF I had to do it all over again, I would have prepared better for Ben's transition. this would have included not trading for Minkah.

They were rearranging deck chairs on the TITANIC, with a poor transition plan. that can be stated for sure

 

The Steelers didn't have to use that pick to draft a QB. They could have traded it or whatever for a QB. My only point is that when QB is unsettled I'm not spending valuable resources on a safety. I'm doing everything possible to give the franchise the best chance to get that top flight QB, especially considering the way the AFC was loading up on young stud QB's.

BTW, that year their first pick was the second they used on Chase Claypool, so even if they considered WR there #1 priority, they could have used that first to draft Justin Jefferson and the second on Jalen Hurts. I realize that's 2020- hindsight and I'm not saying they would have done that. What I am saying is that by trading the first for Minkah, they lost a lot of flexibility and options. For a safety.

edit; Jordan Love was still available in the first at the 18th spot too.

 

It’s a bit of 20/20 hindsight about the 2020 draft.

I don’t think it was a bad trade, they made it the day after Ben threw out his elbow. If the thought was Ben would be back and Minka would shore up the D for a playoff run, I cant hate them for thinking that way. Plus they got Minkah for almost all of 2019, where the 2020 pick wouldn’t have contributed.

Some of the players taken around or about pick 18 that year: Justin Jefferson, Brandon Aiyuk, Jordan Love and Patrick Queen. I suspect most would rather have Jefferson or Love right now. But clearly, Minkah has been at least as valuable most of players that were available at Pick 18

 

Yes, I'd absolutely do it again. No questions asked. If we were wanting that "franchise QB" we could've taken Jalen Hurts with the pick we took Chase Claypool with, but we weren't looking to do that at all (I think Tomlin even mentioned not even scouting Hurts at all).

If we kept the pick, we probably would have taken Jalon Raegor based off our pre-draft visits. We also scouted Jaylon Johnson (CB, Bears) that draft, so we could've taken him instead of Claypool too. We ended up essentially trading Claypool for Peezy Jr, so it ended up working out for us in the long run... but we kinda bungled that Claypool pick with Jaylon Johnson, Trevon Diggs, Cam Akers, and Jalen Hurts taken with the 4 picks directly after Chase.

 

In 2018, Ben threw for 5129 yards, a career high and led the league. Even though he went out after two games in 2019, there was no reason to expect such a massive drop off, especially with players like Brady and Brees playing into their early 40's at a high level. It was expected he would return to 2018 levels. He didn't.
The board would have had a conniption if they had taken Love or Hurtz at 18 "with so many holes to fill", especially since they weren't considered 1st rounders. Or God forbid used #18, #40, and their 2021 first to draft an injured Tua.
Hindsight is always 20/20. We got a three time all-pro (out of five years), 4 time pro bowler. If every one of our first round picks played to that level, we'd be in good shape.

 

We got a better player than most 1st round picks so yeah.

 

Losing Edmunds hurt Minkah, I would’ve never let Edmunds go. He was the support in the run defense. We messed up the secondary with that move.

 

Right. They were probably going to pick a safety anyway, and Minkah was better than anyone in the draft, so it was one of their better moves

 

You are confusing versatility with being a tweener. A tweener isn't really good at either position. Fitzpatrick is an elite free safety who can also play slot corner or strong safety. That led to one of the two things that ruined his 2023 season because they didn't play him at his best position. The other issue, of course, was injuries.

Just because those two things ruined his season, some of y'all are forgetting just how good Fitzpatrick is.

 

Edmunds was a backup with the Eagles, who dumped him off on the Titans. The issue was trusting Neal as his replacement. That worked okay until the inevitable injury ended Neal's season.

 

Normally, I would be against it, but just imagine if we didn't have him...our secondary would be burnt toast.

 

this is SOOOO WRONG. INJURIES doomed this Defense.

and part of why they were injured so much was ALL THE TIME they had to spend on the field when Kenny was QB!

our T.O.P. was AWFUL for 12 games.

 

We'd go 9-8, miss the playoffs. The horror!

That's sort of the point though. Until we get a legit QB, we're going nowhere. We spent a #1 on a safety a few days after our 38-year old QB blew out his elbow. it didn't seem smart (to me at least then) and nothing that has happened in the intervening 4 years has changed my mind.

 

The board having a conniption is not a very good reason for the FO not to plan and act adequately for Ben's successor.

The Brady and Brees comparison is poor, because neither one of them had major elbow surgery at age 38. Contrary to "no reason to expect such a massive drop off", it was easily foreseeable for any 38 year old, much less one coming off surgery, imo.

I get people will defend the trade and it's not like Minkah has been a bust. Far from it, in fact.

My view, however, is that there was a huge opportunity cost to the transaction and that we may very well suffer for a long time until we find that franchise QB. I just don't think it was a very good strategic decision. Gotta get a QB before all else.

 

OL would have been better, and would help when drafting the eventual successor to Ben.

Even I’m getting tired of repeating myself, , but I can’t help it: Steelers are all about staying above 500. They needed help on D to not fall below 500, so they did this.

 

You don’t draft a franchise QB. You have to make one.