NY Jets land cornerback Patrick Surtain II in 2021 NFL Mock Draft

The NY Jets were mocked a superstar cornerback in the form of Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II in Sports Illustrated’s way-too-early 2021 NFL Mock Draft.

The NY Jets may have just finished up securing their 2020 NFL Draft class, but that doesn’t mean that some aren’t already eyeing what next year’s class could look like.

After all, it’s always mock draft season.

Immediately following the conclusion of the 2020 NFL Draft, many analysts were quick to release their way-too-early 2021 mock drafts. In this case, we’ll be looking at Sports Illustrated’s version that saw the Jets land Alabama star Patrick Surtain II.

Surtain, the son of the former NFL cornerback with the same name, will be a junior entering the 2020 season and he’s already considered to be one of the top cornerback prospects in the upcoming draft class.

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The 20-year-old started 12 games as a true freshman in 2018 and followed that up with an even more impressive 2019 campaign. A former five-star recruit, Surtain has all the physical traits teams look for out of a cornerback.

At 6-foot-2, 203 pounds, Surtian has superb length that he uses to physically overpower wide receivers both in press coverage and downfield in man-to-man coverage.

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On top of that, his ball skills are impressive which has allowed him to rack up interceptions and pass deflections in college. He projects as a press-man cornerback in the NFL with the upside of a Pro-Bowl-caliber player.

And in terms of scheme fit, he seems to fit exactly what the Jets are looking for.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has always had a preference for a defensive scheme primarily utilizing press-man coverage. Much like former defensive play-caller Todd Bowles, Williams has a soft spot for tall, physical cornerbacks.

Just look at the team’s most recent additions of Bryce Hall and Quincy Wilson for further evidence of that.

Surtain would not only be a talented addition to the Jets’ secondary, but he’d be an ideal fit from a schematic standpoint.

The Jets addressed their secondary a couple of times this past weekend selecting Cal defensive back Ashtyn Davis in the third round and the aforementioned Hall in the fifth-round. While Davis is more likely to have a future at safety, the Jets hope that Hall could be groomed into a starter of the future.

At the moment, the Jets are slated to enter next season with the starting duo of Pierre Desir and Blessuan Austin on the outside. Ideally, the future will consist of Austin and Hall, but counting on former fifth and sixth-rounders to be starters is certainly far from a given.

But landing a player like Surtain would possibly lock down one of the cornerback jobs for years to come.

Next. NY Jets: Final grades for the team’s entire 2020 NFL Draft class

We’re obviously still a long way out from the 2021 NFL Draft, but if the Jets were able to land a player like Surtain it would undoubtedly be a game-changer for their defense.

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