Broncos' 2021 Re-Draft: Patrick Surtain II is Not NFL.com's Pick

The 2021 NFL draft has produced many stars who are shaping the league's future. Names like Ja’Marr Chase, Micah Parsons, and, most notably, Denver Broncos All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain ll, have already made a significant impact, solidifying themselves as some of the best at their respective positions.

What would happen if the deck was shuffled and the top talent front his draft landed elsewhere? NFL.com's Adam Rank took a crack at who teams may have picked in 2021 with the benefit of hindsight, and the Broncos' pick may leave you scratching your head.

Original No. 9 pick: Patrick Surtain II

This is a tough one. We haven't really seen enough of Lance to say he should be a top-10 pick -- but then, he did nothing to disqualify himself during his brief appearance in 2022 before going down with that ankle injury. What I did see enough of: Russell Wilson as quarterback of the Denver Broncos. Even if Lance were to fail in Denver, selecting him here would cost the Broncos just this first-round pick, not all that stuff they gave up for Russ when they traded for him last offseason.

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Let's first take a look at Surtain's accolades thus far. In 2021, Surtain made the All-Rookie Team of Pro Football Focus, NFL.com, and the Pro Football Writers of America. He boasted a stat line of four interceptions, 14 passes defended, and 58 total tackles. The following season, Surtain earned All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl selection, after notching two interceptions, 10 passes defended, and 60 total tackles.

Meanwhile, in comparison to Surtain, Lance is at a disadvantage as he has had very little playing time due to backing up Jimmy Garoppolo and his ankle injury. In a combined eight games, Lance has passed for 797 yards and five touchdowns.

The rationale for Rank drafting Lance to Denver, after Surtain was taken one pick before, is interesting. It's clear to anyone who watched the Broncos last season that Wilson turned in the worst campaign of his career.

Wilson's rocky start has mostly been attributed to an unproven and incompetent coaching staff led by Nathaniel Hackett. It was clear since Denvers' opening game that even managing a clock was too much to ask for Hackett and company.

While Wilson had faults of his own, Hackett was the more significant issue. The concern for “all that stuff” that Denver surrendered is valid regarding the draft picks; however, the players given up aren’t exactly franchise-breaking. Drew Lock is still riding the bench, Noah Fant is still yet to live up to his draft pedigree, and Shelby Harris has been released after one season in Seattle.

The Broncos' biggest roadblock to success in the 2021 draft was the coaching staff that was in place. Vic Fangio isn’t a name you’d throw around in a conversation when it came to the paragons of quarterback development.

Add Pat Shurmur as the offensive coordinator in Denver that year, and, had the Broncos drafted Lance in an alternate football universe, the team may as well have sent him down the river. Assuming Hackett still comes to town the following season, it's doubtful he would coach Lance to his potential. Neither coaching regime is near the quarterback whisperer that Kyle Shanahan is.

It's fun to look back at what could’ve been for the Broncos, but fans must appreciate what they have now, even though times have been harsh. Surtain, while not a quarterback of the future, is a franchise cornerstone moving forward. The past is set in stone, but the future with Sean Payton as head coach is yet to be written.

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