2021 NFL Mock Draft, post-free agency: Browns land Micah Parsons, Falcons shock with Kyle Pitts
By Randy Gurzi
45. Alabama. Patrick Surtain II. 9. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. CB. player
It looked for a while as though the Denver Broncos weren’t going to extend free safety Justin Simmons. After placing the franchise tag on Simmons in 2020, they weren’t able to extend him initially and had to give him the tag once more. Then they finally came to terms with their star defender, giving Simmons a four-year deal worth $61 million.
That’s a massive contract for a safety but Simmons is currently one of the best — if not the best — in the game right now. Locking him down will do wonders for the Broncos but they still need to get better at cornerback. They did sign Kyle Fuller, which is a great move but they need more depth. For that reason, they target Patrick Surtain II here, as yet another Alabama player gets selected in the top-10.
Surtain has NFL bloodlines, following in the footsteps of his father who was a Pro Bowl defensive back who played for 11 seasons with the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs. Denver once featured one of the greatest secondaries in the game, known as the ‘no-fly zone’. Led by Chris Harris, Jr. and Aqib Talib, passing on them was a nightmare and they hope to begin to get back to that point by adding Surtain along with Simmons and Fuller in their defensive backfield.