After putting together the best season of his young career, one that ended with him being named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year, Broncos star Patrick Surtain II continues to be disrespected. The latest slap in the face? PFF’s Top 50 Players ranking, which inexplicably placed Surtain at No. 27 overall for the upcoming season.
Let’s be clear: Surtain has been the gold standard of consistency. Quarterbacks avoid him. Receivers get blanketed. He’s a true shutdown corner in an era where those barely exist anymore.
And yet, even by PFF’s own metrics, this ranking makes no sense. Surtain was the most valuable non-quarterback in the NFL last season, according to PFF’s own WAR metric. His presence on the field was crucial to Denver’s defensive turnaround, and still, they have him outside the top 25?
The disrespect becomes even more baffling when you consider who they ranked ahead of him: Sauce Gardner. Not only was Gardner not a DPOY finalist, he wasn’t even an All-Pro in 2024. In fact, PFF’s own grading system ranked him 33rd out of 222 corners last season. And yet, somehow, he sits at No. 23 on their Top 50 list, four spots ahead of Surtain.
Make it make sense.
PFF blatant disrespect of Pat Surtain II is mind-boggling
If we’re comparing numbers, Surtain outperformed Gardner in nearly every key category: more pass deflections, more interceptions, lower passer rating allowed, and fewer yards allowed. The only edges Gardner held were in completion percentage allowed and one fewer touchdown surrendered. Add in the fact that Surtain plays more snaps and regularly shadows top receivers, and the gap becomes even wider.
PFF credits Sauce Gardner’s top ranking at cornerback to his performance over the past three seasons. The Jets would like to agree as they've recently made him the highest-paid corner in NFL history. It's abold move that puts into perspective just how valuable Surtain’s current deal is for the Broncos, considering he's the reigning DPOY and still playing at a higher level.
Both PFF and the Jets project Gardner to thrive under first-time head coach Aaron Glenn’s aggressive scheme. More power to them, but couldn’t the same be said about Surtain?
Surtain enters his third season under Vance Joseph, who has completely flipped the script from the Broncos' national punchline 70-point game to leading a feared defensive juggernaut. This offseason they doubled down and got reinforcements in linebacker Dre Greenlaw and first-round pick Jahdae Barron. With upgrades around him and an improved offense expected to stay on the field longer, Surtain is positioned to dominate once again.
So when PFF asks you to trust their projections, maybe take it with a grain of salt.
More credible rankings, like the recent survey of NFL executives, coaches, and scouts, tell a different story. In that poll, Surtain was voted the No. 1 cornerback in the NFL. Sauce Gardner? He slid to fifth. One AFC executive didn’t hold back:
""Needs a bounce-back year in 2025. Lots of missed tackles and penalties and didn't make many plays last year. Too much, too soon and thought the NFL was easy.""
Veteran AFC personnel staffer
So again…What more does Patrick Surtain need to do to earn the respect he deserves?