Both Steelers safeties land in the NFL’s top 32 according to PFF

As the 2025 NFL offseason progresses into the summer months, there will constantly be a barrage of lists and rankings from various outlets. While some fans will have preferred places where they look for particular rankings, others will just avoid the information altogether.

Over the next two weeks, I will be reporting on the members of the Pittsburgh Steelers who landed in the top 32 players at various positions according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). I know there are many who like to criticize PFF rankings, with me being one of them, it doesn’t mean that their information is always incorrect. While they used rankings for some of their reasoning in placing the players on these list, it was not their ultimate deciding factor and instead was the opinion of the various authors depending on which position group was being covered.

Whenever I cover various things from PFF, I often give the disclaimer reminding people that their grades are merely an opinion. One thing PFF should be commended on is that they collect an immense amount of data, particularly looking at each player on every snap, in order to form their opinion. But more data doesn’t automatically deliver a correct opinion. Regardless, it is still a great point of discussion to see where the Pittsburgh Steelers rank and the various positional groups.

To finish things up, let’s look at PFF’s rankings at the safety position where the Steelers had both starters land in the top 32.

16. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers

Once arguably the best safety in the NFL, Fitzpatrick has taken a back seat to other players in Pittsburgh’s defense. The Alabama product’s 65.2 PFF overall grade in 2024 was his lowest since 2021 and ranked only 44th among safeties. Fitzpatrick recorded six interceptions and broke up an additional six passes in 2022 alone, but over the past two seasons, he recorded just one interception and broke up six passes.

As stated in the breakdown, Minkah Fitzpatrick used to be considered one of the best safeties in the NFL. But a couple of seasons with not as many splash plays (meaning interceptions) has Fitzpatrick further down the list. But that’s not the end of the world as the Steelers have attempted to build the secondary more in a way that could free up Fitzpatrick to make these splash plays in 2025. Still, Fitzpatrick lands in the middle of the list despite low numbers from PFF this season.

Fitzpatrick’s teammate, DeShon Elliott, despite scoring much higher last year according to PFF, also lands on the list but significantly lower…

29. DeShon Elliott, Pittsburgh Steelers

Elliott constructed his best season yet in 2024, recording a 70.0-plus PFF overall grade for the first time in his career. His 71.1 mark ranked 27th at the position and actually beat out Minkah Fitzpatrick. Elliott’s 83.9 PFF run-defense grade this past season was also a top-10 mark.

Coming off what is likely his best season in the NFL, DeShon Elliott earned a two-year contract extension recently. Pairing up with Minkah Fitzpatrick and being a great run defender in the secondary, Elliott had the lowest missed tackle percentage (2.7%) of any player in the NFL who had over 100 tackles in 2024. Hopefully big things are in store for Elliott in 2025.

Looking at the other safeties, the top player on the list was Kyle Hamilton of the Baltimore Ravens. The only other player from the AFC North on the list was Ronnie Hickman Jr. of the Cleveland Browns who came in 24th. In all, only 12 over the 32 spots went to players currently in the AFC.

Other position groups covered:

Center
Edge Rusher
Tight End
Interior Defensive Line
Wide Receiver
Linebacker
Guard & Tackle
Cornerback
Running back & Quarterback