'He's top 2': Doug Pederson credits Pat Surtain II as elite corner ahead of Broncos matchup

Jaguars second-year cornerback Tyson Campbell still has fond memories of his days at American Heritage in Plantation with Broncos corner Pat Surtain II.

The pairing ranked as the top defensive backs in the nation and didn’t lose a game during their junior or senior seasons. Surtain's father, former Miami Dolphin Pat Surtain, was the head coach of those teams.

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They allowed less than 10 points per game during the regular season and were crowned as consecutive 5A Florida High School Athletic Association state champions during a 28-game unbeaten streak during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

“It was fun,” Campbell said. “Our last two years of high school we didn’t lose a game. Went back-to-back (as) state championships. Played in the Army All-American game. Played in the Nike Opening. Went through recruiting together. That’s a brother of mine and he’s doing well so I’m proud of him.”

Their relationship has grown as the two players have ascended. Surtain was selected ninth by the Broncos in the 2021 draft while Campbell was selected as the first pick of the second round.

With both players in their second year of being in the NFL, they are frequently communicating about life on and off the field.

“We just pick each other brains. What we think about certain receivers and stuff like that. What works best against them and stuff like that,” Campbell said. “Also, we just check up on our mental health. We’re all football players and we all have to go through life as well and we’re all going through the same thing. How we’re doing in life is not always about football.”

Last season in a duel between top 10 draft picks, Surtain snagged his first career interception against Trevor Lawrence.

He's recorded a forced fumble, four career interceptions with 19 career pass deflections and 83 total tackles at this early stage in his career.

Surtain has garnered respect around the league for his strong play through his first two seasons and even drew high complements from Jaguars’ head coach Doug Pederson on Wednesday.

When he was asked about Surtain as a perennial top five cornerback in the league, Pederson interrupted to say he believed the second-year defensive back was top two in the league.

“[He’s] top two. No. 1, he’s a great person, great player, you can tell that he studies his opponent,” he said. “He’s long, athletic, and can run. He’s physical. When you have those type of traits, and I think Tyson Campbell (CB) was in that mix a year ago with those guys. This guy is young, but he’s that type of player. He’s gaining a lot of respect around the league, obviously.”

The ties go even deeper for Jaguars wide receiver Zay Jones, whose father Robert was a teammate with the elder Surtain on the Dolphins in the late 1990s.

Zay Jones faced off against the younger Surtain as a member of the Raiders last year and took note of how much the second-year player has matured.

“Anyone who’s playing corner at this level obviously has some ability. But I think you can tell that he separates himself slightly,”  Jones said in the Jaguars’ locker room on Wednesday. “Just the position that he’s in, physically, when he’s guarding some of these routes. He’s guarding some of the best of the best.

“He’s there. If the receiver makes a really good catch, credit to the receiver but it looks like he’s mainly in position. I have played him before multiple times. It was his rookie season; I think he’s matured since then. I think he knows the system very well that he’s. I think he fits in the scheme that they’re doing. I’ve got a lot of respect for him and their defense.”

Trevor talks overseas trip

It took Jacksonville six games and a trip overseas for them to pick up their first victory last season.

The Jaguars defeated the Dolphins 23-20 on a game-winning field goal in London to claim Trevor Lawrence’s first victory as an NFL professional. On Wednesday, he reflected on the win.

“To go 3,000-something miles for our first win last year. It was awesome. It was incredible. The stadium, the fans, the city, everything was really cool. Where we stayed at, we loved it, so we’re excited to go back,” the second-year quarterback said.

Lawrence passed for 319 yards, completing 25 of 41 pass attempts with one touchdown and led the final drive to put the team in field goal range.

It was an early flash in the pan of the talent of the former No. 1 overall draft pick as he recorded the most passing yards by a Jaguars’ quarterback in London.

Though different circumstances, the Jaguars are in the midst of a four-game slide and need a win to regain their footing. The Broncos game also marks the start of a tough slate of games over the next several weeks.

A win could turnaround the direction of the season before it’s lost. That’s why Lawrence is viewing this as a business trip more than anything else.

“It’s a business trip for us. One goal in mind is to go and come back with a win,” he said. “That’s the focus, but I know myself and other guys that were here last year, we’re all excited, and a lot of other players have been there in their career, too.”

The Jaguars’ eight trips to London rank as more than any other franchise, traveling 4,250 miles each way during the trip. The team left on Thursday while the Broncos spent the entire week overseas, conducting practices and all football operations from London.

Lawrence spoke about wrapping up most of the prep for the game before they traveled on Wednesday and offensive coordinator Press Taylor shed some light on that on Thursday.

“It’s your Thursday thrown off to your Friday morning a little bit," Taylor said. "Just in the rhythm of how you do things, obviously, it’s always easier sitting in your office knowing where everything is, being able to get to all points of film at any point in time. That’s a little bit more of a challenge, but I think from our standpoint as coaches, we’ve chipped away at your normal Thursday night process, we’ve kind of chipped away at that over the last three nights.”

London trip a homecoming for Jaguars safety

It’ll be a homecoming for Ayo Oyelola this weekend when the team heads to London.

The safety is a part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway initiative that promotes spreading football globally by offering international players a chance to earn a spot on an NFL roster.

Oyelola is one of four players to land with NFL teams. They were selected from 66 international players who competed in combines and additional training last year.

Now he’s a member of Jacksonville’s practice squad and will be making the trip back home with the team this week.

“I couldn't even tell you,” he said when asked what it’s going to feel like on Sunday. “I don’t know what it's gonna feel like yet. It’s going to be kind of surreal for sure. I'm just going try and enjoy every minute of it.”

Oyelola’s journey saw him try multiple positions including running back and linebacker and featured a stop in the CFL after graduating from Nottingham in 2020. He played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers prior to becoming a member of the Jaguars.

When he hits the pitch Sunday, it’ll be the first time he’s been to Wembley since around 2005. During that trip he watched the England National team compete.

He’s reserved about 25 tickets to the game for his family and friends. While it’ll be a cool experience for him, it’ll be even better for them.

“Yeah, it's going to be great. It's going to be even cooler for my family,” Oyelola said. “You know what I mean? To be in the stands when their son or their brother or their friends on — it's his team playing. So it's going to be a cool experience for them too. I'm excited for them.”

Jersey reveal

It’ll be an all-black affair at Wembley when the Jaguars play in London. They’re going with black helmets, jerseys, pants and socks during their game across the pond.

Juston Lewis is a sports reporter for the Florida Times-Union. You can follow him on Twitter at @JustonLewis_.

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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Pat Surtain II makes impact for Broncos ahead of Jaguars trip to London