Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II Voted to NFLPA All-Pro Team
For the first time and very unlikely the last, Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II was selected as a first-team All-Pro by the NFLPA. Voted upon by his peers, Surtain joined Philadelphia cornerback Darius Slay as the cornerbacks on the NFLPA’s inaugural All-Pro Team.
The NFLPA All-Pro Team is decided exclusively by current NFL players, with each player allowed to vote once. This is the first team of its kind.
The Broncos have not had a single first-team A.P. All-Pro player since 2016 when a trio of defensive stars in Von Miller, Aqib Talib, and Chris Harris, Jr. all earned the honor the year following Super Bowl 50.
In what is shaping up to be one of the better draft classes of the decade, Surtain was selected with the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft and quickly gained notoriety among his peers and analysts for his incredible play. From being listed as the single best cornerback in football in a recent interview with superstar quarterback Joe Burrow, to making the first-team All-Pro list by The Athletic's Nate Tice and Robert Mays, not to mention his Pro Bowl selection, Surtain, at just 22 years old, is likely going to be one of the best defensive players in the entire NFL for the foreseeable future.
Among cornerbacks with at least 550 coverage snaps, Surtain tied for second in targets at 70, tied sixth in receptions allowed with 41, conceded the fewest number of yards after the catch with just 95 yards, and was first in coverage snaps per target in the league at 9.1. While he didn’t have the ball production this season of a corner like Sauce Gardner (who also had a claim for first-team All-Pro), Surtain ranked near the top in nearly every other metric.
Surtain also was tasked with following the team's No. 1 receiver more than most. An example used by Mays in the recent The Athletic Football Show Podcast tells the tale.
"Even though some of the underlying numbers might not be as good as other guys. Go back and watch the first Raiders game. He gives up seven catches in the first Raiders game. He’s on Davante Adams the entire game, every snap. Giving up seven catches on 13 targets… is a 50/50 split on the best receiver in football… I think he’s the best pure coverage player in the NFL right now.”
While much was made about the Broncos' selection of Surtain at the time, given the team's need for a quarterback, no one can debate the fact that the former Alabama product is one of the best players in the entire NFL and that Denver got a potential generational player with that draft selection at a premium position.
Congratulations to 'PS2' on the award, and what is exceedingly unlikely to be his last.
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