Patrick Surtain II won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2024. If he hopes to repeat in 2025, it won't be an easy task. For the most part, Surtain will follow the opposition's best wide receiver any given week.
It doesn't always workout like that, but it's a fair assessment. Surtain was the first draft pick of the George Paton era back in 2021, and it could not have been the better selection, as Surtain not only won the DPOY in 2024, but he's also got three Pro Bowls and two All-Pros.
He just turned 25 years old back in April, so he's only just now entering his mid-20s. Well, if he hopes to repeat as the Defensive Player of the Year in 2025, he's absolutely going to have to run the wide receiver gauntlet.
Patrick Surtain II is going to faceoff against some top receivers in 2025
Here are the Denver Broncos' opposing top wide receivers they are set to face in 2025, and if Surtain were to follow each one every single week, it'd be a tall task:
Week 1 - Calvin Ridley
Week 2 - Michael Pittman Jr
Week 3 - Ladd McConkey
Week 4 - Ja'Marr Chase
Week 5 - AJ Brown
Week 6 - Garrett Wilson
Week 7 - Malik Nabers
Week 8 - CeeDee Lamb
Week 9 - Nico Collins
Week 10 - Jakobi Meyers
Week 11 - Rashee Rice
Week 13 - Terry McLaurin
Week 14 - Jakobi Meyers
Week 15 - Jayden Reed
Week 16 - Brian Thomas Jr
Week 17 - Rashee Rice
Week 18 - Ladd McConkey
As you can see, some of the top receivers in the NFL are set to face Patrick Surtain II and the Denver Broncos' defense. In 2024, Surtain was able to shutdown just about everyone. According to Pro Football Reference, he allowed just 38 receptions on 62 targets for 326 yards, two touchdowns, and an opposing passer rating of 58.9.
He was also credited with zero missed tackles as well, which is outstanding. Surtain isn't going to get the best of every single player he lines up across from, but his 2024 season was about as dominant that a cornerback can have in the NFL.
The DPOY has typically gone to the top pass-rusher recently, so seeing Surtain win it was a bit rare - he absolutely has an uphill battle to repeat, and given the opposing WR matchups, the task appears even tougher.