Minkah Fitzpatrick will soon hear his name called in the first 32 picks of the 2018 NFL Draft.

He will more than likely be the first Alabama player selected, extending the Crimson Tide streak of consecutive years with a first-round draft choice to 10 under head coach Nick Saban.

The unanimous All-American visited three NFL teams since his college career ended, and all three of them have top-10 picks on Thursday, April 26. He will be a first-year player for the third time in his life, but the draft process over the last several months wasn’t the first occasion Fitzpatrick made a strong first impression in 21 years on this planet.

It won’t be the last, either. And that’s something that will only benefit the NFL.

“The NFL needs Minkah Fitzpatrick,” St. Peter’s Prep (N.J.) head coach Rich Hansen told BamaOnLine.com. “They need his persona, they need his professionalism, they need his approach to the game, they need his approach to life, his community service, his work ethic. They need his face to be at the forefront, and when you put all the pieces together...

“I agree with Ray Lewis -- he’s the most important player to the NFL in this draft.”

* * *

The first time Fitzpatrick caught his high school coach’s attention was before his freshman year.

He was set to enroll at St. Peter’s Prep, an hour’s drive from his hometown of Old Bridge, N.J., and, as a 14-year old, took part in summer workouts alongside some 19-year-old seniors.

Fitzpatrick at St. Peter's Prep

“It was crystal clear from minute No. 1 that he was not backing down from anybody,” Hansen said. “He was there to compete and he was there to make sure he made a niche for himself and was going to work really hard at becoming a great player.

“We had some pretty good players and we had some pretty good talent, and if you didn’t know anything about St. Peter’s Prep football and walked on the field, you wouldn’t know -- except he was a little skinnier -- but you wouldn’t know that he was an incoming freshman.

“And I think right then, as we walked off the field after the first or second summer workout, and I said to one of my coaches, ‘This kid might wind up starting as a freshman.’”

What exactly did a 14-year-old Fitzpatrick do to wow the head coach of the varsity squad?

“Obviously he was able to hang physically, but I think the biggest thing was his competitive fire,” Hansen said. “You know kids can jump in lines and you can kind of tell who he’s going to match up with before it happens, and you can kind of craft it to match up with somebody you think you can handle. And Minkah’s jumping in the front of the line and trying to go with seniors and trying to match himself up with really good players.

“I remember watching, going, ‘Wow, look at this kid.’ He was there to prove a point on the very first day. And I’m sure -- listen, 14-year-old kid versus 19-year-old guys, I’m sure he was a little bit intimidated or a little bit bright-eyed, but you couldn’t tell from the way he competed. Physically, yeah, but it was more of his mental approach to it that you knew this kid was going to be a good player.”

Fitzpatrick went on to star at multiple positions for the Marauders.

He recorded two interceptions and 12 pass breakups as a sophomore in 2012, accounted for 62 tackles with four picks and 21 pass breakups as a junior in 2013 and had 60 tackles and three interceptions as a senior in 2014 before committing to play for Alabama as the nation’s No. 30 overall recruit, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

Hansen called Fitzpatrick the morning after winning a state championship his senior season to thank him for his contributions. To his surprise, Fitzpatrick answered out of breath and told his coach it was because he was “at the field, getting some speed work in.”

Fitzpatrick was the only player Hansen did not wake up that morning with a phone call.

“He’s going to treat it just like he treated his first summer at St. Peter’s Prep and how he treated his first summer at Alabama,” Hansen said of Fitzpatrick’s upcoming NFL journey. “He’s just going to be him and he’s just going to let it be what it’s going to be. He’s just going to play really hard, and the pieces are going to fall into place because he’s that talented.”

* * *

The first time Fitzpatrick stood out to ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit and Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage was the first time they saw him practice in person.

Herbstreit was allowed to watch one of the team’s closed scrimmages in the fall of 2015. He entered the day curious about the situation at quarterback with Blake Sims leaving the position vacant but left impressed with a certain true freshman defensive back.

Fitzpatrick at Alabama

“What stood out to me that day was this No. 29. And I don’t follow recruiting that closely to really know, but I happened to have a roster, and I kept seeing that 29 and 15 (Ronnie Harrison) the same day. They were both true freshman defensive backs,” Herbstreit said.

“And I kept watching 29, and because of some injuries, he was working with the first unit. Then when he would come out, he would be standing next to Mel Tucker, the defensive (backs coach), and he was standing right next to him when he was out while the rest of the guys were getting a drink of water. He was standing right next to the defensive (backs coach) asking questions, pointing to things, trying to learn as much as he could.

“And I’ll never forget, after the scrimmage I walked down to the field, and as I was leaving I bumped into Kirby Smart, who was still the defensive coordinator, and I was like, ‘Man, these guys look good. What’s up with this 29 dude?’ His eyes got real big like, ‘Special, different kind of guy.’”

Herbstreit, on a conference call, believes Fitzpatrick will “gravitate to that Star position” in the NFL. “I think he’ll be as good as there is in the league eventually. I think he’s a perennial Pro Bowler type of guy. And I think he’ll be a first-class professional.”

Savage, the Crimson Tide’s color analyst on radio broadcasts, agreed.

The former general manager of the Cleveland Browns, Savage attends one Alabama practice prior to each season, and it only took that one practice session to notice the former 5-star recruit.

“There was already a lot of buzz about Minkah and how exceptionally well he was doing in those first few weeks,” Savage said. “And I mean instant evaluation, he looked like an NFL defensive back. He had the lower body, the legs, the dimensions, the physical traits that you look for in a pro corner. Long arms, quick feet, ball skills. I think he’s the complete package.”

Fitzpatrick registered 60 tackles this past season, which was good for fourth place for Alabama, and added eight tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, eight pass breakups and three interceptions. For his career, he recorded 171 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, nine interceptions (including four pick-sixes) and 4.5 sacks and capped his junior year as the Bednarik and Thorpe Awards winner.

“Minkah is one of the best players in this draft, I think it’s obvious,” Savage said. “He’s been my favorite Alabama player that I’ve watched in the nine years of doing the radio broadcast.”

* * *

The first time Fitzpatrick made an impression with NFL teams was when he made a private visit.

Fitzpatrick visited three different NFL teams -- the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers. Those three teams have picks 7, 8 and 9, respectively, in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. And it’s possible one of them chooses Fitzpatrick.

“He’s been an A+ not only on the field but off the field for Alabama,” Savage said. “I talked to a team the other day that had him in for a visit. While a lot of guys show up in T-shirts and hoodies and they’re just making the rounds, Minkah showed up in a sport coat.

“And the comment that the person made to me is that this guy already conducts himself like an NFL player who’s been in the league 4-5 years.”

Fitzpatrick at the NFL Combine

Reviewing 18 different NFL mock drafts, Fitzpatrick was projected as a first-round selection in all 18. All but one had him coming off the board in the first 15 picks of Thursday’s first round.



Some draft analysts consider Fitzpatrick to be one of the top overall players in this year’s draft, but their mock drafts don’t reflect that. They voice concerns over which position he will play at the next level after displaying the ability to play six secondary spots at UA.

“I know that there’s been some conversation about his versatility has sort of hurt him in the draft evaluation season because people are saying, ‘Well, he’s not really a safety, he’s not really a corner. He’s more of a nickel back,’” Savage said. “Look, he’s whatever you want him to be. But for my money, I think he’s a left corner that slides inside as a nickel.”

As a former coach that moved him around to multiple positions, Hansen isn’t worried.

“I tell people this all the time -- he came to us as a running back and a corner and left as a slot (receiver) and a safety,” Hansen said. “And it was because in high school you don’t have to mess with packages, you can just match him up on anybody, whether it’s a back, a tight end, a wideout, a slot. It just makes you that much more valuable, and I think that that’s going to be the thing that brings him a lot of opportunity early in the league.

“Personnel packages are at a premium because players are at a premium, right? The more you can do, the more valuable you are. So, you’re looking a guy, in high school, who returns punts and kicks, can be your running back, can be your slot, can be your wide, can play X, Y, Z, played corner, played free, played strong, boundary corner, field corner, rushed the edge.

“He did just about everything you could ask a high school player to do, and for him, it was all fun. Football is just having a ball. So, I think he’s obviously a safety, but I think he still has, in my mind, he’s a safety with corner skills. And no matter what level of football you play, that’s a commodity.”

Fitzpatrick and his family will be in Arlington, Texas, for the first round of the 2018 draft in what will be his first moment as an NFL player. But it certainly won’t be the star safety’s last.

Contact Charlie Potter by 247Sports' personal messaging or on Twitter (@Charlie_Potter).