Patrick Surtain gives the Philadelphia Eagles hope.
Philly finds their answer opposite of Darius Slay with Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II. It’s not too often you find a lockdown corner who started all three years in college. Mr. Surtain has a nice sized frame. He’s six-foot-two and tips the scales at 202 pounds, but his calling card is his technique. His game against LSU in 2019 might be one of his most impressive. He held his own while lined up against three first-round caliber wideouts at different points in the game: Ja’Marr Chase, Terrace Marshall, and Justin Jefferson.
In man coverage, he keeps his hips square to the wide receiver and patiently waits for him to break. With fluid hips like Surtain’s, it’s easy to stay with a receiver on an island. He stays low in his stance with his back flat and his feet moving. He also does a great job getting hands on the wideout early in the route with his outside arm. When playing in bail technique, he keeps his head on a swivel ready to run with the outside receiver but also keeping his eye on the slot receiver who could run deep.
Like every corner, he isn’t perfect. He’s had his ups and downs. There are times when receivers will take it to the house on him. Usually, he gets beat overtop. This will not fly at the NFL level. He’ll have to be better downfield.
After watching Michael Jacquet versus Michael Gallup last week, it’s difficult to believe this Eagles coaching staff can help him out. If the same coaching staff is back in 2021 and the same problems occur in the secondary, hopefully, there will be changes. Then, the Eagles can hopefully bring in a coaching staff in 2022 that can coach him up and utilize him to his strengths.