Broncos' Pat Surtain II Has Separated Himself as NFL's Best CB

If you were to ask around NFL coaching staffs, front offices, and scouting departments, who would you predict being the one player rising to the top as the consensus best cornerback in the league?

If you said Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain, you'd be right on the money.

And when looking at how the voting shook out for that topic per a recent poll around those in the league, it doesn't seem like the discussion is that close either.

Pat Surtain Deemed the No. 1 CB in the NFL–– By a Wide Margin

ESPN recently surveyed around 70 members of NFL personnel to gauge their judgement of who they believed were the best 10 players at the cornerback position heading into next season. Not who they think will have the most productive season or the brightest future: who's the best in the league right now?

And atop the list was none other than the Broncos' All-Pro defender, Pat Surtain, who managed to land over three-fourths of the entire votes in his favor as the best cornerback in the NFL.

"Surtain held a convincing grip on the process, eliciting more than 75% of the first-place votes," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler wrote. "Surtain is the prototype, with the ideal combination of size (6-foot-2, 202 pounds), lateral agility, downfield speed and instincts. The 2024 Defensive Player of the Year missed three games due to a shoulder injury in 2025 but still deflected 12 passes."

It's tough to argue with the results here. Surtain has been as consistently elite and as productive as anyone else at his position, really throughout the past four seasons.

With three All-Pro selections, four Pro Bowls, and the unique honor of a Defensive Player of the Year award as a corner back in 2024, the comparisons you can draw to the Broncos' star are slim.

Oct 12, 2025; Tottenham, United Kingdom; Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) leaves the field after an NFL International Series game against the New York Jets at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last year, his campaign was cut short to just 14 games because of a torn pec injury that sidelined him in the second half of the season, rising his total missed games to just four absences in the past four seasons.

Despite that missed time, though, he didn't miss a step in terms of his production and overall numbers throughout the season.

He finished with just one interception, but had 12 passes defended––more than his previous campaign in 2024 despite playing less games––paired with 47 combined tackles and had an allowed passer rating of 66.5 when he was targeted in coverage.

What NFL Personnel Had to Say About Surtain's Ranking

And when questioning those around the voting pool as to why Surtain was the one landing that nod atop the list, it was pretty apparent that nobody else was coming close to touching the presumed number-one player at the position.

For as good as Houston Texans' corner Derek Stingley and New England Patriots' corner Christian Gonzalez are in their respective roles––who ranked second and third on the list––Surtain is viewed as simply being in another tier with his combination of size, physical traits, technical ability, and sustained production.

"It's not close," a veteran coordinator said of Surtain's ranking. "A generational player. Watch the AFC Championship Game. He was the best player on the field by far."

"If you went in a lab and made the ideal cornerback, it'd be Patrick Surtain," an NFC personnel evaluator said.

If Surtain can hold up his elite production for another year, he'll be the cornerstone piece who allows this Broncos secondary to remain atop the totem pole as one of the best lockdown units in the NFL.

And in the event that sustained success continues to push forward, it's going to be pretty tough to dethrone Surtain from the same spot as the No. 1 corner this time next year.

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