Pat Surtain II of the Denver Broncos is the best cornerback in football heading into 2025.
That’s perhaps a debatable fact — because Derek Stingley Jr., Denzel Ward and Sauce Gardner exist and will make a push for that title this season — but those who know the NFL better than anyone else — execs, coaches and scouts — certainly think it’s true.
Not only do they think it’s true, but they think so by a wide margin.
ESPN released a ranking of the best cornerbacks in the NFL on Thursday and Surtain was nearly undisputed. He was also ranked first in the NFL in the same exercise heading into 2024, but at that time he got just over 50% of the first-place votes.
Now? Nearly 90% of those asked believe that Surtain is “the guy”.
“Complete package — size, speed, good tackler, good ball skills, smart and instinctive,” an AFC executive told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
Surtain was selected No. 9 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Broncos out of Alabama, and he quickly proved that he belonged in the league that his father once played in.
He notched four interceptions as a rookie and made his first All-Pro team in Year 2. Last season, he was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year after totaling 45 tackles (34 solo), 11 passes defended, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and four interceptions (one taken back for a touchdown).
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