The Broncos on Thursday bolstered their secondary by drafting Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II with the No. 9 pick in the first round of the NFL draft.
Here’s a look at how national outlets graded Denver’s top pick:
: “Today, bigger and longer cornerbacks are mostly preferred. In Surtain’s case, he’s 6’2” and 208 pounds and can shut down passing lanes and help against the run. The side effect is those defensive backs aren’t quite as quick, particularly when matched up man-to-man against smaller receivers. Surtain can be exposed slightly in these situations. …
“Like those teams in front of them, the Broncos will have to answer for not taking a quarterback when they’re clearly not settled at the position.”
: “I love his game. He is one of those corners who will be sound from the minute he steps on the field. He will be a star.”
: “Wow. Wow. It sure seemed like this would be a quarterback, but the Broncos went with Surtain, who in many estimations was the best cornerback in the draft. This sure keeps the dream alive for an Aaron Rodgers trade while giving Vic Fangio an amazing secondary. Patrick Mahomes is on notice.”
: “The Broncos play in a division with Patrick Mahomes. Surtain is my top-ranked corner. This move, in a vacuum, makes way too much sense. But itap impossible to ignore the fact that Justin Fields was still on the board. Going into the season with either Drew Lock or Teddy Bridgewater under center just doesn’t feel like a good plan for dethroning Kansas City.”
: “There’s been swirling rumors all afternoon about the Broncos potentially being in on a trade for Aaron Rodgers, and not taking a quarterback here seems to lend that some credence. Surtain II is a great all-around corner, my top player at the position in the draft, and I think it makes a lot of sense in a division with Pat Mahomes. He’ll come in and be able to make an impact from day one, and when you get one of the best players at your position of greatest need you made a good choice. If this doesn’t lead to a deal for Rodgers and the Broncos left Fields on the board it’ll be interesting.”
: “There’s nothing wrong with the selection of Surtain, the strong defender in the top 10. But for a team that needed an upgrade at QB and several other positions, Denver goes for corner despite adding Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby for Vic Fangio in free agency. Surtain should be a special player with shutdown skills to open up the blitz packages, but the Broncos get knocked a little by going for a future-minded quasi luxury pick.”
: “And the corner run begins. Surtain, also the son of an NFL star (a three-time Pro Bowl DB of the same name) is viewed as one of the safest bets in this draft given his technical acumen, 4.46 speed and intelligence. Surtain is also a willing tackler, which his new coach, Vic Fangio, will appreciate. One knock on last year’s SEC defensive player of the year was that he only picked off four passes in three seasons. Also, perhaps a bit of a surprise given new GM George Paton signed veteran CBs Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller in free agency, though the latter is on a one-year deal.”
