Micah Parsons vs. Pat Surtain II: Did Denver make right decision?
With his first season in the books, it’s safe to say that cornerback Patrick Surtain II had a successful rookie campaign.
Yet, Broncos Country will continue to compare him to another standout defensive rookie that general manager George Paton passed on with the number nine pick in Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons.
Linebacker has been the Achilles heel for the Broncos over the years and coming out of Penn State, Parsons was pegged as a day one starter that could be a game-changer for the team that drafted him. While he was the pick for the Broncos on multiple mock drafts, Paton ultimately went with the standout corner from Alabama.
Surtain was solid over the course of the season, even being called upon to be the number one corner with various injuries to Kyle Fuller, Ronald Darby and Bryce Callahan. Surtain certainly answered the call, showing glimpses of the future that was in store, with his instincts in press coverage, field vision and ball-hawking abilities.
Finishing the year with 45 solo tackles, four interceptions and one touchdown, Surtain made plays when needed and held his own against legitimate receivers, most notably Ja’Marr Chase when Denver took on the Bengals. During the contest, Surtain only went up against Chase a handful of times and didn’t even allow a target.
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Parsons was also impressive with his first season, finishing with 64 solo tackles,13 sacks and three forced fumbles with his 13 sacks sixth-most in the league. Parsons was most recently up for league Rookie of the Year and is most likely the front runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year, however Surtain also has a reason to be considered for the honor.
Although it’s far too early to tell if either will become a future Hall of Famer, it’s not hard to imagine that as long as both can stay healthy. Surtain missed the final game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Both could be perennial Pro Bowlers.
Regardless of whether one might believe that one is better than the other, Surtain is making a name as a legitimate lockdown corner that in the league of quarterbacks and moving the ball vertically and receivers that can compete for every throw, it’s best to have a secondary that maintains the ability to force turnovers and limit large gains.
While Paton could have gone with Parsons and an every down-linebacker, it certainly seems like he connected on the right one with PS2.