Many would argue that the Denver Broncos have the best cornerback in the NFL with Patrick Surtain II. The Defensive Player of the Year from 2024 has been in the NFL for five seasons, and he’s earned Pro Bowl honors each of his past four campaigns.
Surtain has also earned First-Team All-Pro honors twice and Second-Team honors this past season. That would suggest he had a bit of a down season. Pro Football Network’s analysts agreed.
Patrick Surtain II Ranked NFL’s Second-Best CB
PFN recently released its top-100 player rankings ahead of the 2026 season. As usual, there were many surprises along the way. Some players may have been ranked too high; others too low.
But what about Surtain? PFN ranked the Broncos’ corner as the seventh-best player in the NFL. Houston’s Derek Stingley was the only cornerback who ranked higher than Surtain, and he came in at No. 6 on the list overall. New England QB Drake Maye came in at No. 8 overall.
While Surtain was already highly accomplished coming into the season, he didn’t let anyone down in Denver.
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“Going into 2025, the expectations were high for Patrick Surtain II, having won Defensive Player of the Year the season prior,” Jacob Infante wrote. “He managed to live up to the hype, earning Pro Bowl recognition for the fourth year in a row and receiving an All-Pro nod for the third time in that span. He finished No. 9 in PFN CB Impact Scoring after placing No. 3 in 2024.”
The Broncos’ CB1 helped Denver hold opponents to the third-fewest points in the NFL last season. But teams had already learned not to target him often, especially after Surtain recorded four interceptions in 2024. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t still extremely effective.
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“Though Surtain’s interception numbers dipped in 2025, his allowed completion percentage of just 52.5% was much better than his DPOY season in 2024,” Infante added. “He’s a big-bodied, intelligent, sticky cornerback with the movement skills and the route recognition to shut down just about any wide receiver in the NFL.”
Surtain unsurprisingly drew especially high praise from PFN for being excellent in coverage, even against the game’s best receivers. He’s a big reason why Denver’s defense has been so elite, helping the team rank first in net yards allowed per pass attempt a season ago.
Still just 26 years old, Surtain’s play won’t drop off this year. If anything, he’ll build on his five seasons of experience, get even better at studying his opponents’ tendencies, and become an overall more consistent playmaker. Plus, ranking as the second-best corner rather than No. 1 could give him an even bigger chip on his shoulder.
