Clayton: Broncos and Vikings could be comparing CB notes this week

For George Paton, Teddy Bridgewater and other players on the Broncos roster, it had to be intriguing to have their first joint practice at the Minnesota Vikings.

Paton came from the Vikings to be the general manager. He got a chance to spend time with his best friend, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman. Bridgewater was a former first-round pick of the Vikings. He helped the team go to the playoffs in his rookie season. That was special.

You would have to figure Paton was very attuned to his return trip to Minneapolis. You can figure the GM and Spielman will spend a lot of time discussing cornerbacks.

The Broncos believe they struck gold when they picked Patrick Surtain over Justin Fields with the ninth-overall pick in first round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Surtain played lockdown cornerback in his time on the field in practice against the Vikings on Wednesday.

No one knows how much he will play this season because the Broncos are three-deep with quality veteran cornerbacks. Some around the league believe if he gets on the field a lot, he might be the Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Spielman will probably pick Paton’s brain about cornerbacks. The Vikings drafted cornerbacks in the first round of the 2018 and 2020 drafts. Mike Hughes was released after being a first-rounder in 2018. The Vikings released Jeff Gladney this summer even though he was one of last year’s first-round picks. He had off-the-field issues that the team didn’t endorse.

Paton made an interesting comment the other day. He said there are more potential quarterbacks available each year than there are top cornerbacks. Paton knows the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, but more young quarterbacks are available if they are struggling in their rookie contract.

Obviously, Paton wants the best quarterback available to help the offense, but corners – good ones – are hard to find of late. That’s something his mentor certainly knows.