Broncos' Pat Surtain II Voted No. 1 CB in ESPN's NFL Personnel Poll

The Denver Broncos know what they have in Patrick Surtain II, but he's still got a lot to prove.

August 19, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

For the past five years, ESPN has been polling NFL league executives, coaches, and scouts to rank the best player at each position. Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II was voted the No. 1 player at his position according to this poll.

Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, more than 50% of the NFL people polled listed Surtain as the No. 1 cornerback in the NFL. Fowler also provided some interesting comments from select NFL personnel on the Broncos' cornerback.

"Complete corner that can play in any coverage and has size, instincts, ball skills and will tackle," an NFL personnel director told ESPN. "I like the corners that can do it all."

For what it's worth, the remaining top-5 cornerbacks in the poll behind Surtain were Cleveland's Denzel Ward (2), New York's Sauce Gardner (3), Tennessee's L'Jarius Sneed (4), and Miami's Jalen Ramsey (5). Read the article for the full top 10 list.

However, it's not all sunshine and rainbows for the Broncos' cornerback, as Fowler reported that many NFLers viewed Surtain's 2023 campaign as a step back.

"But several evaluators saw slippage in his play in 2023, and his grip on the top spot wasn't overwhelming.

"Surtain allowed 58 receptions for 790 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception on 90 targets as the nearest defender, good enough for a 102.5 passer rating for opposing quarterbacks.

"The context, according to multiple coaches who prepped for Surtain, is Denver sometimes played in softer zones that attached Surtain as the 'nearest defender' quite loosely at times. And random plays such as a 68-yard double-move score from Robbie Chosen late in a blowout loss to Miami affected the bottom line," Fowler wrote.

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Indeed, Surtain's third year wasn't as dominant as his breakout 2022 campaign, where he earned first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. He did garner the second Pro Bowl nod of his career, but it's fair to wonder how much of that was based on the fumes from his amazing 2022 season and name recognition alone.

But it's important to note that Surtain dealt with some unique obstacles that put his modest step back last year into context. The arrival of Denver's new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and the schematic shift that ensued played some role in Surtain's performance.

Surtain also didn't have much help at cornerback opposite him, although the Broncos' did identify a potential future stud at the nickel in Ja'Quan McMillian, who emerged as an excellent slot corner last year. There was also personnel turnover at safety, with Justin Simmons missing time early last season with an injury and Kareem Jackson getting suspended.

In the NFL, though, the buck stops at the individual. Surtain bears the brunt of his — let's face it — average third year.

But don't let that fool you. Surtain's talent is off the charts and he's still just getting started in his NFL career. The Broncos exercised his fifth-year option, and entering Year 2 with Joseph as defensive coordinator, the future is as bright as it's ever been for the former Alabama first-rounder.

"He did not have the best year," an NFL coordinator told ESPN. "But he's still the best pure talent, he moves the best, and you can do the most with him as far as coverage, so if I'm starting a team, I'm probably picking him."

Once again, the Broncos have question marks in the secondary, only this time, it's not limited to cornerback. Surtain sits at the top of the team's cornerback depth chart, but Riley Moss, Damarri Mathis, Levi Wallace, and rookie Kris Abrams-Draine will duke it out for the No. 2 boundary job.

With both Simmons and Jackson gone, the Broncos will also host an intense competition at safety. The expectation is that P.J. Locke has the strong safety spot locked down, while free-agent newcomer Brandon Jones takes free safety, but Caden Sterns will have something to say about that if he can stay healthy. All three safeties hail from the University of Texas, oddly.

With Simmons and Jackson gone, the Broncos are expecting Surtain to assert himself more as a leader, and that could be good for his development. At the end of the day, though, Surtain can only control the controllables, and for him, that starts and ends with his play on the field.

The Broncos open up training camp with cleats on the grass on July 26.

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