HEADLINES

Patrick Surtain II

Broncos Draft CB Patrick Surtain II

April 29th, 2021 at 8:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos didn’t take a quarterback after all. With the No. 9 overall pick, the Broncos selected Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II. 

An All-American as a junior, Surtain finished with a career-high nine passes defensed this season, leading to SEC Defensive Player of the Years honors. That performance vaulted him up the draft boards, just shy of fellow corner Jaycee Horn.

We previously heard that the Cowboys were split between Horn and Surtain. Now, they’ll have to pivot. The Cardinals were also infatuated with both corners, so they’ll have to look further down the board when they pick in the middle of the order.

Surtain will follow his father, Patrick Surtain, into the pros. The elder Surtain was a longtime NFL corner who became a Dolphins second-round pick in 1998. An All-American as a junior, Surtain finished with a career-high nine passes defensed in 2020. Now, in Denver, Surtain will join a talented cornerback group that includes Ronald Darby, Kyle Fuller, and Bryce Callahan.

He’s the first defensive player drafted in Round 1 by the Broncos since 2018, when they tapped Bradley Chubb No. 5 overall. He’s also Denver’s first Round 1 defensive back since Bradley Roby in 2014.

Cowboys Split On Which Cornerback To Select At No. 10

April 27th, 2021 at 8:36pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cowboys could be eyeing a cornerback with the No. 10 pick, but it sounds like the organization is split on who they should take. Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network reports that there’s a “50/50 split” in the Dallas front office about whether the team should select Patrick Surtain II or Jaycee Horn with their first-round pick.

If the Cowboys are indeed seeking a cornerback, it makes sense that the team is deciding between Surtain and Horn; the duo has established themselves as the top-two cornerbacks in the entire draft. Dallas could use reinforcement everywhere on their defense, but as ESPN’s Todd Archer notes, there aren’t pass-rushers or defensive tackles worth taking at the No. 10 spot (and the team’s need for a linebacker doesn’t outweigh their need for a cornerback). While the Cowboys front office is apparently struggling to decide which of the cornerbacks to select (assuming they even have that luxury), the team can be confident that they’ll be adding a foundational piece to their defense.

While it’s always important to take pre-draft news with a grain of salt, Archer notes that the Cowboys have generally hinted at their first-round selection days before the draft. The reporter details how the Cowboys have narrowed their focus on a specific first-rounder each year since 2015, with the one exception being last year when CeeDee Lamb unexpectedly fell.

One thing is for sure: the Cowboys won’t be trading up from No. 10. The team has made it abundantly clear that they won’t pay the required bounty in order to move up the draft board, even if tight end Kyle Pitts (a Jerry Jones favorite) falls outside of the top-four

Cardinals Eyeing CBs, Jaylen Waddle?

April 21st, 2021 at 12:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Quarterbacks and other top-10 prospects have dominated this year’s draft discussions, overshadowing the rest of this year’s class. The Cardinals hold pick No. 16 and are considering multiple paths, including one that involves a highly coveted pass catcher.

Arizona is interested in cornerbacks Patrick Surtain II and Jaycee Horn, per ProFootballNetwork.com’s Tony Pauline, who adds the team is also eyeing Jaylen Waddle. However, it is quite possible all three of these players will be gone by the time the Cardinals go on the clock. This would point the Steve Keim-run team to a trade-up scenario.

The Cards gave A.J. Green a one-year, $6MM deal to see if he can rediscover his pre-2019 form. They have Christian Kirk, but he is going into a contract year and has not been especially consistent as a pro. Larry Fitzgerald remains unsigned and is expected to retire after 17 seasons. Waddle would certainly make for a flashy DeAndre Hopkins complementary piece, but the Cards would almost certainly have to trade up to land him.

Patrick Peterson defected to the Vikings in free agency, and although Arizona agreed to terms with Malcolm Butler, he is going into his age-31 season. The Cardinals have Byron Murphy signed through 2022 but could use additional help at corner. Surtain has been viewed as a player likely to go off the board in the top half of the first round for months, while Horn has made a late climb. However, Todd McShay’s latest ESPN.com mock has the South Carolina corner falling to the Cards at 16.

The team is believed to view linebacker Zaven Collins as a potential contingency plan, according to Pauline. A Tulsa product, Collins has a versatile skill set that could be utilized as a pass rusher or pure linebacker. The Cards going in this direction would be interesting, given Haason Reddick‘s struggles in a hybrid role for most of his Arizona tenure and the team’s selection of versatile ‘backer Isaiah Simmons in last year’s first round.

Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II, Jaylen Waddle, Mac Jones To Enter Draft

January 14th, 2021 at 3:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Days after a lopsided national championship victory, Alabama will see several of its starters make the expected jump to the NFL. Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, cornerback Patrick Surtain II, quarterback Mac Jones and defensive tackle Christian Barmore announced Thursday they will enter the 2021 draft.

All four are projected first-round picks, according to ESPN.com’s Todd McShay. Surtain, Jones and Waddle will respectively forgo their senior seasons, while Barmore will leave two Crimson Tide years on the table. Surtain and Waddle have appeared in first-round mocks for a while now; it is not out of the question both join Heisman winner DeVonta Smith as top-10 picks.

Waddle will land alongside Smith and LSU opt-out Ja’Marr Chase atop the receiver prospects in what is expected to be another deep wideout class. While Waddle saw an ankle fracture interrupt his final Alabama season, he suited up against Ohio State — albeit at far less than 100% — and should be expected to go off the board fairly early in the draft. Smith and Waddle, who averaged 21.1 yards per catch this season, will follow ex-Crimson Tide teammates Henry Ruggs and Jerry Jeudy as first-round prospects. Waddle is not certain to be ready for the Combine or pre-draft workouts, however.

An All-American as a junior, Surtain finished with a career-high nine passes defensed this season. He will follow his father, Patrick Surtain, into the pros. The elder Surtain was a longtime NFL corner who became a Dolphins second-round pick in 1998. McShay has the younger Surtain and Barmore going off the board at 10th and 27th overall, respectively. The latter recorded eight sacks this season.

At Alabama during Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa‘s starting tenures, Jones took over late last season after Tagovailoa’s hip injury. Despite the COVID-19-altered season limiting Alabama to 13 games total, Jones set a program record with 4,500 passing yards and finished with a 77% completion rate and a 41-4 TD-INT ratio. He will join Trevor Lawrence, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, BYU’s Zach Wilson and (likely) Ohio State’s Justin Fields as surefire Round 1 prospects.