Patrick Surtain II at No. 10 could be a perfect fit for the Cowboys

With the 10th overall pick in our 2021 NFL writers’ mock draft, Blogging the Boys selects cornerback Patrick Surtain II out of Alabama.

If the name sounds familiar to you, perhaps you remember his father, Patrick Surtain Sr. The elder Surtain was a two-time All Pro who spent a decade playing cornerback in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Miami Dolphins.

The younger Surtain has an opportunity and the talent to put together a similar career trajectory, and at 6’2 and 208 pounds, he has the prototypical size new Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn covets in the defensive backfield.

From Blogging the Boys on the decision to snag Surtain II:

With players like Kyle Pitts or Penei Sewell not dropping down to pick No. 10, the Cowboys seem to have a pretty straight-forward decision to make — which cornerback do they take? The Dallas defense was abysmal in 2020 and they are pretty light on corners on their roster. Last year’s second-round pick Trevon Diggs is the one sure-thing they have at the position, and Jourdan Lewis or Anthony Brown will be candidates for the slot. They desperately need another outside corner.

Surtain II has exactly the right build and skill set to fit into Dan Quinn’s new defensive scheme in Dallas. He is also the top-rated corner on many boards, so this really is a marriage of player and need.

Obviously there are some wide receivers who may be ranked a little higher on draft boards, but the Cowboys are pretty set at receiver and the team can score points, they just can’t prevent other teams from scoring them. All of this leads to kind of a no-brainer in taking Surtain II.

The only real question around Surtain II is his long speed, in part because opponents rarely tested him deep during his time at Alabama.

For the record, it sounds like Surtain Sr. would be thrilled to see his son land in Dallas. In a recent interview on ESPN Radio’s Keyshawn, JWill, and Zubin, he called the pairing “a perfect fit.”