The Denver Broncos hit the nail on the head when they selected Patrick Surtain II at No. 9 overall in the 2021 NFL draft. He quickly became one of the best corners in the NFL with an impressive rookie year.
Surtain's rookie season has been his best so far in his career, statistically, and the Broncos need him to get back to that level. However, Surtain returning to that level isn’t only on him but the rest of the defense, too.
To support Surtain, the Broncos must strive for a more balanced defense, ensuring consistent pressure upfront to relieve the corners of prolonged coverage. There's a limit to how long the corners can stay with a receiver, making pressure a crucial element.
Additionally, it's imperative to find a reliable player to complement Surtain. At times, the burden on Surtain has been too heavy, leading to some of the challenges faced over the past two seasons.
What Surtain excels at is pressing at the line of scrimmage and playing man coverage. However, there are noticeable issues with his play in zone coverage, which is the most significant weakness in his game, even more so than his play against the run, which can be inconsistent.
Art of X’s Cody Alexander ranked Surtian 43rd in zone coverage while fifth in man. To be fair, this is out of 166 corners, so he still ranked well in both.
This highlights the potential for Surtain to be a well-rounded player, but in zone coverage, there are more areas for improvement than you'd like to see. If he can make strides in this aspect, he has the potential to become one of the greatest corners in the game.
Even Pro Football Focus shows the differences between Surtain's play in different coverage types. Out of 50 corners with at least 500 coverage snaps, he was eighth in man coverage grade, while 24th in zone coverage. It's still good, but there is a clear difference between the two schemes, and what adds to this is the fact the Broncos run zone over 50% of the time.
On the season, Surtain allowed 54 total catches; 27 of them came in zone coverage for a completion percentage allowed of 69.2%, while man coverage was only 54%. The passer rating allowed when targeted makes the difference obvious, with a passer rating of 101.3 when targeted in zone coverage compared to 61.4 in man coverage.
In both coverage types, Surtain forced four incompletions and broke up three passes. However, his lone interception came in man coverage and he dropped another interception in man while not allowing a touchdown, unlike in zone.
While Surtain did allow more yards in man (176) than zone (97), the average depth of target in zone was two yards lower, and teams took advantage of this with short throws that forced him to come up and make the tackle, while he was challenged deeper in man coverage.
Bottom Line
Surtain is already one of the best corners in the NFL, and he is only 24 years old. He has the potential to become one of the best to ever play the position.
For that to happen, the Broncos need Surtain to improve in zone coverage and truly be a well-rounded corner. Improving there could see him become the highest-paid corner in the NFL and beat the current $21 million average per year that currently tops the market.
