Congratulations are in order for the Alabama football standout.
After having a remarkable career under head coach Nick Saban, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will hear his name called on Thursday at the NFL Draft in Dallas. Before the event occurs, the New Jersey native has already taken steps to being a professional in earning his first endorsement.
He shared a video from his Instagram account on Monday, displaying him inking a deal with Adidas. The video shows the former five-star wearing the company’s apparel, donning a pair of gloves, and working through drills with the ‘Welcome to #TeamAdidas’ showing at the bottom.
Fitzpatrick is one of six future NFL rookies to sign with the brand – joining Bradley Chubb of North Carolina State, Sony Michel of Georgia, Derwin James of Florida State, Courtland Sutton of SMU and Christian Kirk of Texas A&M – when it comes to this year’s draft class.
The 6-foot, 204-pounder collected 60 tackles (eight for loss), 1.5 sacks, eight pass breakups, three quarterback hurries and an interception in 2017. Fitzpatrick helped the Crimson Tide earn its second national championship of the College Football Playoff era, while his performance guided him to winning the Chuck Bednarik and Jim Thorpe awards at the end of the season.
He finished his collegiate tenure as a two-time All-American (2016-17) and was twice named first-team All-SEC in 2016 and 2017. According to various NFL Draft media analysts, Fitzpatrick projects as a top-10 pick and was given a grade of 6.19 — which means he ‘should become an instant starter’ at the next level.
Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
