Why Pat Surtain II might be the best Broncos cornerback ever - ESPN

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Twenty-six Pro Bowls. Seven first-team All-Pros. One hundred and thirty-five interceptions. Twenty-four defensive touchdowns.

Those are the combined stats of former Denver Broncos cornerbacks Champ Bailey, Aqib Talib, Chris Harris Jr. and Louis Wright.

The next in line to the lockdown corner throne in Denver? Pat Surtain II, a player incredibly refined, technically sound and gifted in approach and abilities. Wright simply said: «If he does it a long time the way he does it now, he will be the best of us.»

«If anybody could build a corner, in the way you want everything, it would look like him,» said Bailey, a Pro Football Hall of Famer and three-time first-team All-Pro selection. «Big, long, tough, smart, focused, serious. Those things prepare him to dial in how you become great, how you prepare, how you practice.»

Surtain, the Broncos' first-round pick in the 2021 draft, is a two-time Pro Bowler and was named a first-team All-Pro in 2022. He has racked up 10 career interceptions and 37 pass breakups. The Broncos know what they have, signing Surtain to a four-year, $96 million extension with $77.5 million guaranteed — the most for a cornerback in NFL history — in September. The deal keeps him in Denver through the 2029 season and was done despite the Broncos' salary cap constraints after the release of quarterback Russell Wilson in March. General manager George Paton called it «a no-brainer.»

Heading into Monday night's game with the Cleveland Browns (8:15 p.m. ET, Empower Field at Mile High, ABC/ESPN), we asked the four legendary ex-Broncos corners to break down Surtain's game and what makes him one of the league's best players. Each came to the same conclusion: With his rare combination of size,