ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (KDVR) — When you’re selected in the first round of the NFL draft, teammates notice you. Just ask the Denver Broncos leaders about cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
“This Patrick Surtain II, this ‘PS2’ guy, he’s the real deal,” said an energetic Von Miller as OTAs continue at UCHealth Training Center. “He’s a specimen.”
Surtain II, the ninth overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, checks all the boxes. At 6 foot 2 inches tall and 208 pounds, he runs a speed that is above average for the position, given his 4.42 clocking in the 40-yard dash.
“He’s a big guy and moves really well,” said Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons. “Just really fluid movement. It just seems like there is no wasted movement in his game, which obviously you all know how important that is in the secondary position.”
Adding a piece like Surtain II to an already deep and skilled Broncos secondary is important as Denver prepares to play some of the top offenses in the AFC West.
“The more defensive backs that we have, the better we’ll be,” Miller said. “Definitely stacked in this room.”
As one of the top-rated cornerbacks in college football, he allowed 25 receiving yards or fewer in 10 of the Alabama’s 13 games last season.
“We thought highly of him to pick him where we picked him,” said head coach Vic Fangio, who is open to play Surtain II at every position in the Broncos secondary. “The thing I like most about him up to this point — I like his demeanor. I think he’s got an NFL demeanor, especially the type of demeanor you need to play corner in this league. I think he has some versatility, which we’re going to need to take advantage of.”