With the ninth pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Denver Broncos select Patrick Surtain, cornerback, Alabama.
Analysis: If your team needs a cornerback who can start day one and is ready to handle everything the NFL can throw his way, this is your guy. Especially if you need a cornerback with the mirror/match ability to take on the best receivers in the game and follow them step-for-step from the line of scrimmage. Surtain has all the elements needed to excel at the next level, no matter what challenges you throw his way.
Grade: A. The Broncos signed Kyle Fuller to a one-year deal and brought Ronald Darby on with a low-risk contract, so it’s not a certainty in Vic Fangio’s cornerback group over time. Surtain is the most certain (sorry) cornerback in his class — while he’s a great zone cornerback, he is an absolute shutdown defender in man and match concepts. Denver was pretty good in its 203 man-coverage snaps last season, allowing six touchdowns and grabbing three picks, and with Surtain on board, they’ll be even better.
