Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alex Highsmith selected to the PFWA All-AFC team

With the conclusion of the 2022 NFL regular season coming more than two weeks ago, a number of outlets have announced various awards and All-Star teams. On Monday, the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) announced their All-AFC, All-NFC, and All-NFL teams. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, Alex Highsmith was selected to the All-AFC team while Minkah Fitzpatrick was selected to both the All-AFC team and the All-NFL team.

The PFWA is a group which consists of accredited reporters from each of the 32 NFL teams with Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review as the Steelers current chapter president. The All-AFC and All-NFC teams selected by the PFWA are significant as they are used in the formula for players when it comes to calculating compensatory draft picks along with AP All-Pro selections.

For Minkah Fitzpatrick, this is his third All-NFL selection for the PFWA. Fitzpatrick was also a selection in 2019 and 2020. On the season, Fitzpatrick appeared in 15 games where he had 96 tackles, 11 passes defensed, and an NFL-leading six interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

For Alex Highsmith, this is his first selection to the PFWA All-AFC team. Starting all 17 games for the Steelers in 2022, Highsmith had 63 tackles, 12 of which were for loss, and 20 quarterback hits. Highsmith led the Steelers with 14.5 sacks on the year and had an NFL-leading five forced fumbles as well as one pass defensed.

Congratulations to both Alex Highsmith and Minkah Fitzpatrick for your continued recognition of an outstanding 2022 season.