Good morning, Broncos Country!
We’re in the dog days of summer for the NFL.
That period of time between minicamp and training camp. With that comes lists.
Over the last week, ESPN has been releasing the top 10 by position according to NFL executives, coaches, and scouts. And various Denver Broncos have cracked the respective lists.
Pat Surtain II
At least for the Broncos, it started with the top 10 cornerbacks on Tuesday. And to no one’s surprise, Pat Surtain II was No. 1. It’s the second year in a row that Surtain earned the No. 1 spot on this
list, despite missing three games to a shoulder injury.
From the story on Surtain being the top cornerback in the league:
“It’s not close,” a seasoned NFL coordinator said to ESPN. “A generational player. Watch the AFC Championship Game. He was the best player on the field by far.”
Nik Bonitto
After not being ranked last year, the various members who ranked edge rushers had the Denver edge at No. 10.
Bonitto finished the season with a career-best 14 sacks. And as the story notes, Bonitto’s 23.7% pass rush win rate off the edge ranked second in the NFL.
Zack Allen
This is the week for Allen to get pub apparently. The Broncos defensive tackle made the NFL Top 100 at No. 73 and expects Denver to break the NFL sacks record this season.
In the ranking of defensive tackles, Allen came in at No. 8. Similar to Bonitto, Allen wasn’t ranked a year ago.
The story notes the impressive run that he’s on: his 131 quarterback hits since 2022 are eight more than the next-closest player, Myles Garrett. And Allen’s 117 pressures during that span rank third most among interior defensive linemen. The story adds that Allen has netted 15.5 sacks over the past two seasons.
Garett Bolles
In the most recent rankings that ESPN released, the Broncos left tackle cracked the top 10 at No. 10. Bolles was not ranked a season ago.
It makes sense that Bolles would make the list since he was a first-team All-Pro in 2025.
From the story:
“Pass protection, he’s one of the most consistent,” an NFL coordinator said to ESPN. “He can handle his own without help. He was a big part of the Broncos’ success on offense last year.”
The story notes that Bolles allowed five sacks on 630 pass-blocking reps and posted a 94% pass block win rate (ninth among tackles).
