Denver Broncos: Rally behind Patrick Surtain pick not hate
Breathe Denver Broncos fans, cornerback Patrick Surtain is going to be a great pick.
The Denver Broncos certainly surprised everyone by passing on a quarterback to take Patrick Surtain II, cornerback of Alabama. Quarterback has been labeled by new general manager George Paton as the most important position in sports.
As a general manager, it is also a very difficult decision as well. If the Denver Broncos or any team take a quarterback it should be due to loving that player in the first round over anyone else on the draft board. The Broncos showed they love Surtain more than Justin Fields and Mac Jones. It’s difficult to hold that against Paton. Paton loved Surtain enough to pass on both of them and not take any trade-back scenarios.
People too often get suckered into what they want to happen and that it is their opinion the general manager should trust. It should be the reverse. We should put faith, especially in a first-year general manager, to get the job done. This should not stop criticism or critique of a decision. However, we should understand that we do not call the shots with the organization. We cannot overstate that enough.
The other thing it does is place unnecessary pressure on a player before he takes a snap because fans wanted someone else at a different position.
Surtain is a great football player with tremendous NFL bloodlines. His father played with the Miami Dolphins and found himself having a stellar career. Surtain is a tremendously gifted player with great technique and height for the position. He has great height at 6-foot-2 to go along with decent speed at cornerback. Factor in the instincts with Surtain, and he is darn near a perfect prospect at cornerback. There are hardly any flaws to his defensive back game.
He will join a defense coached up by Vic Fangio, Ed Donatell, and Christian Parker. Parker comes from the Green Bay Packers where he coached Jaire Alexander who became arguably the top player at his position in 2020.
Fangio also gets a cornerback who can play numerous coverages of off-man and zone. There’s even the “Star” position where Surtain II played some nickel linebacker/defensive back hybrid with Alabama. There’s a lot to love with the potential fit of Surtain II in the building at Dove Valley.
Remember it is not about who the fans love. It’s about the team making the best decision for the football team. On Thursday evening, the Denver Broncos added a tremendous football player to their team.