By Dave Holcomb
SouthernPigskin.com

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Surtain II has all the traits of a lockdown, press-man cornerback who will shadow the oppositions top wide receiver.

The NFL is familiar with the name Patrick Surtain. With the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs, Patrick Surtain Sr. played 11 years in the league after hearing his name called in the second round of the 1998 draft.

Now 23 years later, Patrick Surtain II is ready to become a pro-bowl caliber player as his father was, but Surtain II also has even higher expectations. He could be a top 10 selection and be the first defender drafted in this years class.

Over the last few months, its been typical for draft profilers to mention Surtain II possesses NFL genes, but to sell that as the main reason he is a candidate to be the first defender taken is not fair to the former Alabama cornerback. Surtain II starred for the undefeated Crimson Tide during their 2020 championship run. He made first-team All-American and became the SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

There have been 15 Alabama defensive backs picked in the NFL draft over the last decade, including six in the first round and none of them were SEC Defensive Player of the Year as Surtain II was.

Surtain II has all the traits of a lockdown, press-man cornerback who will shadow the oppositions top wide receiver. Thats no matter where that wideout lines up at the line of scrimmage.

c[He has] elite size, length and talent to match up with any brand of receiver from any place on the field,d wrote NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein.

cSurtain possesses elite physical and athletic traits with the rare combination of length and short-area quickness that allows him to play on a press-man island and phase routes on all three levels.d

Additionally, Surtain is a strong tackler, ensuring that even when he is beaten, he can prevent yards after the catch. Thanks to his chome-schooledd football technique and tenure at Alabama, he doesnt shy away from supporting the run defense either.

The last time a cornerback was the top defender taken in the NFL draft was just three years ago when the Cleveland Browns picked Denzel Ward from Ohio State. But a cornerback as the first defender picked in the NFL draft has happened just twice in the last 15 years. The first defender off the board usually is a pass rusher, and thats only become more true over the last few drafts. Outside of Ward, the first defenders selected in the last five NFL drafts were Joey Bosa, Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa and Chase Young.

There is no elite pass rusher in the 2021 class, which is ultimately the reason why Surtain II has the chance to go first among the defenders. But dont mistake the lack of an elite pass rusher with the fact that Surtain II is a choice only by default. Whichever team lands him will be getting a rookie with the potential to be an All Pro. Alabama associate defensive coordinator Charles Kelly compared Surtain II to NFL star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who Kelly also coached at Florida State.

In the latest 2021 NFL Mock Drafts from CBS Sports and Yahoo, Surtain II is the first defender to be taken. Luke Easterling of Yahoo Sports has him going to the Carolina Panthers at eighth overall while Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports has Surtain II to the Denver Broncos at No. 9.

Last week, Charles Davis of NFL.com had Surtain II to the Dallas Cowboys at No. 10 as the second defender taken after Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons at ninth.

Seeing Surtain II go to the Panthers at No. 8 would be interesting because Carolina went entirely defense in last years draft, and of their seven selections, three of them were defensive backs. However, Carolina didnt take any of those defensive backs before the fourth round, and the Panthers finished third-to-last in interceptions with only seven last year.

The Broncos werent much better at forcing takeaways. Denver finished with 10 interceptions, which was 23rd in the NFL during 2020, but the Broncos were 29th in takeaways. Denver was about average in passing yards allowed per game and passing yards yielded per attempt as well.

But the most interesting place for Surtain II to land in the top 10 would be Dallas. Cowboys starting cornerback Trevon Diggs, who was a 2020 second-round pick, played with Surtain II at Alabama. A pair of Crimson Tide cornerbacks might be the recipe for Dallas fixing the fact it gave up 34 passing touchdowns last year (sixth-most in the NFL).

As I wrote about Kyle Pitts, it doesnt really matter where Surtain II goes — he has the potential to be an All-Pro in any system. Hell have bragging rights on dad too, as Surtain II could go as many as 34 selections ahead of where Surtain Sr. was drafted.

The only question is whether Surtain II is the first defender off the board. Heading into the draft, he has as good a chance of accomplishing that as any defensive back in recent memory.