Broncos star says facing Patrick Mahomes is the NFL’s ultimate challenge

We know he's a member of the Denver Broncos, but even Chiefs Kingdom has to admit that Patrick Surtain is about as credible as any witness is going to be when it comes to ranking the National Football League's best quarterbacks.

Surtain is squarely in the mix to be atop NFL rankings himself at the cornerback position, and he knows well how to handle what the top signal callers bring to the game of football.

Recently, the folks at The Athletic sat down with Surtain to ask him some questions, and one of those was to have him rank the best quarterbacks in the league.

Patrick Surtain has nothing but respect for Patrick Mahomes and ranks him as the league's best QB.

From the top, Surtain knew who to reference first, as Surtain's respect for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was obvious from the jump.

"Definitely Mahomes," said Surtain as his first response. "I mean, we face him twice a year, so we know that's going to be a challenge."

Following that, Surtain had a lot of good things to say about Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, including some thoughts on his evolution as a passer.

"Lamar's a problem. He's getting better and better. He's a problem, man. I ain't gonna lie. He's gotten better at throwing the ball, and that's dangerous because, you know, everybody knows he can run the ball, but his throw is precise now on the rope. That's dangerous. That's tough to beat. So definitely Lamar," said Surtain.

While Surtain didn't have a lot to say about Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, there's not much more to add after he won a Most Valuable Player award. "Josh is coming off MVP year. I mean, he's been that guy."

Following those three, Surtain stayed in the AFC West and went with Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers—another team the Broncos play twice annually.

"Herbert. He's always a tough matchup, just because of how talented he is, you know, how he's able to be consistent throughout the years. So I'd definitely say Herbert," said Surtain.

Near the end, Dianna Russini is the one who suggests Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, and Surtain ends up agreeing with her with, "Definitely Burrow."

After his top five, however, Surtain offered up a warning to the rest of the league about his own quarterback, Bo Nix, who had an impressive rookie season leading Denver's offense. Nix and the Broncos won 10 games in his first season under center, and he threw 29 touchdowns with 12 interceptions while making all 17 starts.

I'm telling you, man, Bo's gonna be a problem," said Surtain. "I'm telling you. I ain't gonna say too much because I know he don't like the hype and everything."

Surtain specifically commented on Nix's evolution at the position, and said he's "gotten a little bigger, a little stronger as well" for the coming year.

"When he first came in, like, he was ready. He was sound. Everything about him just screamed veteran QB in a way. I feel like this year, you know, he's more composed, understands the offense even more, more confident, even more vocal. He's a great leader out there. He brings the offense together. You can just tell he's been working the offseason ... He's going to be scary."