Based on their record last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were slotted as the No. 18 pick of the first round of the 2020 draft.

Though the league’s annual selection meeting begins Thursday, the Steelers are already content with what that draft capital will reap — a versatile, athletic playmaker of high-pedigree who is a perfect for their defense and for whom the scouting community was nearly unanimous in asserting was worthy of being selected as a top-12 draft pick.

Furthermore, Kevin Colbert and company won’t even have to sweat it out waiting to see if he will fall to them.

That’s because the investment the Steelers made with their 2020 first-round pick has already paid the dividends in the name of Minkah Fitzpatrick, the free safety acquired from the Miami Dolphins last September for the selection.

Fitzpatrick was an ideal addition to the Steelers defense, and he’s signed to bargain salaries for 2020 and ‘21 with a team option for ‘22.

“We couldn’t be more excited about not only having Minkah in the fold from last year,” Colbert said last month, “but as we move forward into this draft because of the unknown issues that we’re going to be dealing with (coronavirus), we feel even more comfortable having made that trade than had we not.”

Covid-19 concerns limited face-to-face meetings and evaluations with draft prospects since mid-March. In some ways, the Steelers are shielded from the most acute affects of this lack of information because they do not have to make a first-round pick.

“Under the current circumstances, you may not have all of the information that you had in the past,” Colbert said. “I’m a lot more comfortable knowing I have a Pro Bowl player with that pick.”

. @TimBenzPgh: Minkah Fitzpatrick doesn’t need to move in #Steelers defense. Stats, video tell the story. https://t.co/ovOZn2vt5A

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) February 11, 2020

Furthermore, the presence of Fitzpatrick combined with their 2018 first-round pick, safety Terrell Edmunds, means the Steelers are set at the position for the foreseeable future.

With that said, depth is an issue — but that concern probably wouldn’t compel the Steelers to use a high-round pick on someone who almost assuredly would be a backup or subpackage player.

The highest picks the Steelers hold heading into the draft are Nos. 49 and 102 overall. If Colbert and his staff look for a safety, it’s more likely it comes out of one of their two fourth-rounders or their sixth- or seventh-round picks.

With the departure of former starter Sean Davis in free agency, the lone safeties aside from Fitzpatrick and Edmunds the Steelers have on their roster with any NFL experience are Jordan Dangerfield and Marcus Allen. Dangerfield is on the roster almost exclusively for special teams, and Allen has played 18 regular-season defensive snaps since he was drafted in 2018.

*“Top 25 NFL Prospects Most Likely To Turn Into Stars”* #KMasterLock™️$$ #Gulo? pic.twitter.com/uVRp7m96k7

— #KMasterLock™$$ (@KVonWallace) April 15, 2020

Some of the options in the later rounds at safety include Clemson’s K’Von Wallace, Texas’ Brandon Jones and Notre Dame’s Alohi Gilman.

Wallace is projected as a more of an in-the-box safety for the Steelers, who prize tackling ability from their defensive backs.

“My tackling grade went up tremendously from my junior year to my senior year,” Wallace said.

VIDEO: Safety Brandon Jones @BlessedJones33 is one of a few senior leaders on a Texas defense replacing 8 starters. High praise from Tom Herman.

"He's a marry your daughter kind of guy. He does everything right on and off the field, and oh by the way, he's a really good player" pic.twitter.com/INoNJtSmaI

— Jeff Barker (@JeffBarker_) July 16, 2019

Jones also is an intriguing option because he is said to be a cerebral player. Jones, who reportedly met with the Steelers at the combine, said he entered his draft prep with the intention of watching every 2019 defensive snap from all 32 NFL teams.

“I am super competitive, and I knew that I wanted to build my game any way possible,” said Jones, whose on-field work was limited this winter and spring by a torn labrum. “I didn’t want to just rehab and not do anything. I wanted to do the most beneficial thing for me. My agent said I know some quarterbacks who have done this in the past. It’s a lot of work. I said, ‘Absolutely I’ll see what I can do.’ ”

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