Patrick Surtain II is one of the best corners in this year’s NFL draft. The junior out of Alabama has been projected to go early to mid-first round. There is a lot of talent in this young corner but also some things that might scare scouts away and have Surtain drop.
Patrick Surtain II | College Career
Patrick Surtain II is the son of former NFL Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Surtain. Surtain II was a 5-star recruit that started all three years for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He had a very successful three years with the Crimson Tide.
As a freshman the 6-1, 203 lb corner played in 15 games and had 37 tackles with one interception, one forced fumble, and seven pass deflections. Next year, the sophomore had 42 tackles in 12 games, three forced fumbles, and two interceptions with eight pass deflections. In his final season with Alabama, Surtain II played in 13 games with 37 tackles, with one interception and nine pass deflections. He also had 3.5 tackles for loss.
Patrick Surtain II | Strengths
-His size as a corner
-Understands WR routes well
-Locates and plays the ball well in the air
-Very good tackler, not many missed tackles
-Knows how to play zone well
-Excellent goal line defense
-Very good on press coverage
-Great at stripping the ball
-Plays well in man to man
For his strengths, Surtain II shows a lot of good qualities as a corner in the NFL. He knows how to squeeze wideouts and give them very little room in man and zone. When he plays zone coverage he does a great job watching the quarterback and making a play on the ball. One quality that NFL scouts will love is how he wraps up on his tackles and if he is the second or third guy to the ball carrier he will try to strip the ball.
Patrick Surtain II | Weaknesses
-Very aggressive with hands/too many penalties
-Needs work on change of directions
-Needs to work on short area quickness
For as big as he is, Surtain II is slower to get out of his break than other corners. It isn’t terrible but it is something that he could work on in the NFL. The other weakness is his aggressiveness. He had had six penalties in 2019, and out of those six, four were pass interference calls. Other than those small drawbacks he is a dominate player.
Patrick Surtain II | Prediction
Patrick Surtain II is a solid corner that will go in the middle of the draft. I would say around the 10-15th overall range. The teams that are predicted to select him are the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, or the Philadelphia Eagles. He may also drop to the 16th pick to the Arizona Cardinals.
Patrick Surtain II |Overall
Patrick Surtain II is a great cornerback in the 2021 NFL draft. Scouts are raving about his size and his aggressiveness. If he can lay off penalties then his aggressiveness can be a positive.
The other negative about him is his closing at times. Since he is a bigger corner, it may be harder for Surtain II to close on the ball than the other corners in the draft. This is a minor flaw as you get a big aggressive corner that knows how to high point a ball and give you great goal-line defense. As you can tell there are so many more advantages to Surtain II’s game that he is a top-three cornerback, if not the best corner in this draft.
Thanks for reading my Patrick Surtain Jr scouting report! Follow me on Twitter @zluke22 for more Broncos, Buffaloes, and Rockies news, and for more NFL news and notes, follow @OT_Heroics for all things sports!
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