ESPN ranks Pat Surtain as NFL’s No. 1 cornerback

Thanks to Pat Surtain II, the Denver Broncos still have a No. 1 at something.

For a second-straight year, an ESPN survey of nearly 80 NFL coaches, executives and scouts selected Surtain as the No. 1 cornerback in the NFL.

Surtain earned first-place votes from more than half of the selection pool, ESPN reported.

“Complete corner that can play in any coverage and has size, instincts, ball skills and will tackle,” one NFL personnel director told ESPN “I like the corners that can do it all.”

But ESPN’s results revealed that Surtain’s lock on the No. 1 spot isn’t as strong as it was a year ago. One NFL team’s coordinator told ESPN that Surtain “did not have the best year.”

However, the coordinator added this:

“But he’s still the best pure talent, he moves the best, and you can do the most with him as far as coverage, so if I’m starting a team, I’m probably picking him.”

BEYOND PAT SURTAIN, BRONCOS RESULTS WERE GRIM

Pat Surtain II was the only Broncos player to land in the top 10 of any position group in the survey series, which ran on ESPN.com over the last two weeks.

With only a sole representative, the Broncos ranked 24th in the NFL in top-10 players, tied with seven other teams: Arizona, Carolina, the Los Angeles Rams, New England, New Orleans, Seattle and Tennessee. Just one team — Washington — failed to place a player in any top-10 position ranking.

The league average for top-10 players per team is 3.41.

But when factoring in honorable-mention selections, the Broncos’ situation worsens. Denver had only one honorable-mention selection: guard Quinn Meinerz, who agreed on an $80-million contract extension this week.

So, when adding up top-10 and honorable-mention choices — with a total of just two, well off the league average of 5.59 — the Broncos slide to a tie for 28th with Arizona, Tennessee and the Rams.

Denver had two other players receive at least one vote at their respective positions: wide receiver Courtland Sutton and left tackle Garett Bolles.

With a total of just our players named in the top-10, honorable-mention or receiving-votes categories, the Broncos are tied for last in the NFL, joined by Carolina and the New York Giants.

Unfortunately for the Broncos, this checks out with other evaluations of the roster. An ESPN ranking last month placed the Broncos roster 31st in the NFL. Pro Football Focus checked the Broncos in at dead last, No. 32.

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