ENGLEWOOD — Does he know?

Does Pat Surtain II know he’s the best player on the Broncos roster at the age of 22? Does he know general manager George Paton would have hung up the phone with a chuckle if the Seattle Seahawks had demanded Surtain in exchange for quarterback Russell Wilson?

Does this young man know, according to an ESPN survey, some league suits believe Surtain is already the premier cornerback in all the NFL?

“I look at all that stuff,” Surtain said Saturday on a gorgeous morning for Broncos training camp.

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He knows, because the best thing about the 6-foot-2, 202-pound Surtain is what’s going on upstairs. It’s his brain. It’s how the other day position coach Christian Parker put together a cut-up of Aqib Talib’s 2016 season in Denver and, a couple days later, Surtain channeled Talib to break up a pass intended for Courtland Sutton. It’s why Parker, whose defensive backs have flourished so far in camp, goes straight to the greats when Surtain requests film to study.

Charles Woodson, “because he played multiple positions,” Parker told me on Saturday. Talib, “because he played with so much patience.” Champ Bailey, because, well, he’s Champ Bailey.

“People are like, ‘Oh, he (Surtain) reminds me of Champ!’” Bailey told the Broncos website. “I’m like, ‘Hell, he reminds me of me, too.’”

At Broncos camp on Saturday, the buzz was back. The line of fans stretched clear around the fieldhouse and food trucks. Handicapped parking filled in 40 minutes, a security guard said. Peyton Manning, Kenny Chesney and Ciara came through. It made sense that Russell Wilson and Justin Simmons were the Broncos to address a record crowd of 7,000 there to memorize the new roster on the grassy berm.

“Y’all ready???” Wilson shouted into the mic.

Wilson and Simmons are the billboard Broncos. They’re the big-money Broncos. They’ll be captains on the coin toss and, unless something goes badly wrong, candidates for the Pro Bowl.

“That’s the plan — to go win the Super Bowl,” Wilson told his new peeps.

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But it says here Surtain is their best player, and his star is about to turn. He already picked off AFC West quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert (twice), already was named a Pro Bowl alternate. Surtain doesn’t know what he’s up against. He knows what’s up against him.

“I’m not a rookie no more,” Surtain said.

ESPN surveyed NFL executives on the top cornerbacks in the league. Surtain came in at No. 7 with a bullet: “Multiple high-ranking executives had no problem placing Surtain No. 1 overall.” The six players ranked above Surtain have an average age of 26, in their prime. “PS2” only turned 22 in April. Kids these days.

Surtain said he reads “all that stuff” but doesn’t take it to heart. “Rat poison,” is how he described the adoration — as a wristband saying “Humble Over Hype” dangled from his arm.

OK, I wasn’t going to bring up his dad, former Pro Bowler Pat Surtain, but this family memory is too delightful. At 5 years old, Pat II joined his father, a Chiefs cornerback, for a coin toss at Arrowhead Stadium. Sixteen years later, in his own debut at Arrowhead, Surtain intercepted the great Mahomes, a lonely Broncos highlight.

You can tell a lot about a franchise by how it disperses resources, and the Broncos built a library of knowledge around Surtain. Parker, the defensive backs coach, is only 30 years old and a defensive coordinator in the near future. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero came up coaching defensive backs and might as well have future head coach in his online bio. The Broncos’ defense has plans to “feature” Surtain, Evero said, like an offense might showcase a star wide receiver or gifted running back.

“Just effortless,” is how Evero described Surtain.

And remember how the Raiders would move Woodson all over the field? As a rookie, Surtain committed his time to learning each position in the secondary. Remember how water covers 71 percent of the earth and Champ covered the rest? “That’s how you get paid, right?” Surtain said with a smile. Remember how Talib would call game with a clutch pick-6 at closing time?

“When Talib got the ball in his hands he was going to score,” Parker said.

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All three were film-study savants, none more so than Talib. At times during his Broncos career Talib knew receivers and quarterbacks like they knew themselves, a product of intense film study. I won’t forget when Talib intercepted a New York Jets pass to ice a game in 2014.

“I saw that (pass) coming (earlier) this week” during a film session at home, Talib told me after.

Kids, here’s how Surtain does it: “Last year he would always come up to the office to watch extra tape. Now he’s always watching his iPad,” Parker said. “I don’t have to police him. It’s all on his own initiative. We’re looking for the ‘why’ something happened. Was it something the quarterback did? Something the receiver did? We’re trying to peel back the layers. With Pat’s intelligence it’s easy to work with. He translates everything he learns right to the field.”

Here, take his Chargers game from last year. Surtain had two picks off Herbert, the star quarterback. The first one, Surtain knew the Chargers would attack deep with the tight ends.

“Pat baited (Herbert) into the throw,” Parker said.

The second one, Surtain snagged a tipped ball and returned it for a touchdown at 22.07 mph, the fastest speed for a defender as a ball carrier in over five seasons, NexGen Stats reported.

“You’re never perfect,” Surtain said.

Ehhh. Agree to disagree. At only 22 years old in the NFL, Surtain is dang close. He knows, and soon enough the rest of the NFL will too.