During the 2020-2021 College Football season, Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II was one of the most feared cornerbacks in the country. Surtain II was a vital piece to the championship-winning Alabama team. He was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year and was an unanimous All-American.
Football runs in Surtain II’s family, as his father, Patrick Surtain, played in the NFL for 11 years.
Highlights
Pro Day
Junior Season Stats
Surtain II is one of those corners that does much more than the stats show. Nonetheless, he still had a good season for the Crimson Tide on paper. He had 32 total tackles with one INT and 10 pass deflections along with one touchdown.
Strengths
Surtain II’s greatest strength seems to be his size. He is a lengthly 6’2″, 203 lbs. He plays great in man coverage and is able to line up against bigger receivers. His ball skills are outstanding, too. He plays the ball in the air better than any corner I’ve seen in the draft and doesn’t allow much separation between him and the receiver.
Along with being a great coverage corner, he excels at tackling in the open field and rarely gets left on his heels when a ball-carrier tries to make a move.
Weaknesses
One thing that stood out to me was his difficulty with changing direction down the field on deep post routes or double moves. However, his speed usually can pick up his slack in that department. Another downside of Surtain II’s game is his play in off-man coverage. Luckily Alabama ran a lot of press man with Surtain II. When they did run a zone, though, it looked it was easy for the receivers to find holes in the zone, leaving Surtain II in “no man’s land”.
Comparison and Draft Projection
Comparison – Byron Jones
Draft Projection – Round 1, Pick 20 (Chicago Bears)
After letting go of Kyle Fuller, the Bears are in the market for a new cornerback. Surtain II won’t be the first cornerback off the board, though, as I believe Caleb Farley will be selected in that 10-15 range. I think the Bears would be pleased to have a player like Surtain II at pick 20.