Devy Profile: Courtland Sutton, WR SMU
If you have not already heard of Courtland Sutton, you will very soon. According to Walter Football, he is currently a top-five wide receiver prospect in the projected 2018 NFL Draft Class. His size and strength both at the catch point and with the ball in his hands should translate well to the NFL. He has also demonstrated an advanced route tree for a collegiate player, forecasting a bright future at the next level.
Age
Sutton is currently 21 years old. If he chooses to forego his senior season, he will be 22 years old during next year’s NFL draft. While he will not be the youngest NFL draft prospect, his age is not concerning. Corey Davis and Mike Williams were both 22 years old when they were drafted earlier this year.
As a Recruit
Sutton attended Brenham High School in Brenham, Texas. He surprisingly played safety and tight end there. He also played basketball, averaging 15.2 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.5 steals, 2.2 blocks and 1.8 assists.
According to 247 Sports, he was a three-star football recruit who was ranked as the 103rd Safety and the 1169th overall prospect coming out of High School.
He was recruited as a safety and received multiple offers from Division I schools (including SMU, BYU, and Colorado), but none from any of the top colleges. He ultimately chose Southern Methodist.
Freshman Season
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In his true freshman season, Sutton only appeared in two games and caught two passes for 27 yards before receiving a medical redshirt.
After transitioning to a full-time receiver, he broke out the following season. He posted team highs in catches (49), yards (862) and touchdowns (nine). His best game that season came against Tulsa, as he caught eight balls for 165 yards and two touchdowns. Because Sutton’s play was so strong that season, he was added to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List.
Stats courtesy of Sports Reference.
He even played three games for the SMU basketball team that year. Playing for legendary coach Larry Brown, he scored three points and gathered two rebounds in just four minutes of play.
Sophomore Season
Sutton’s game reached a new level during his redshirt sophomore season. Once again, he played and started at receiver in all 12 games. He led the team with 76 receptions for 1,246 yards and ten touchdowns. He had a monster game against South Florida, posting 13 receptions for 252 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Sutton also set multiple school records that year, including most receiving yards in a single game and most sophomore receiving yards for an entire season.
Stats courtesy of Sports Reference.
Measurables
He has great size, standing at 6’4’’ and weighing 218 pounds. Coming out of high school, he ran a 4.75 40-yard dash and had a 29.9” vertical jump. While these are not spectacular numbers, they do not truly depict the athleticism he possesses. His numbers at the NFL combine will probably be much better after years of training, conditioning, and the overall development of his body.
Sutton has a similar build as the players listed in the chart above. Andre Johnson was slightly heavier and Dez Bryant is a few inches shorter, but all four are roughly the same size.
In the tape I watched, he does have decent speed for his size. He did not outrun anyone but had enough speed to get by defenders and make big plays. He also uses head and shoulder fakes well to help him setup and get past defenders.
Route Running
I charted 218 of Sutton’s routes over the past two years, 32 during his redshirt freshman season and 186 during his redshirt sophomore season. In the first two games I charted in his freshman season, he lined up almost exclusively on the left side of the field and a majority of his routes were nines. Later on in the season against Houston, he flashed some growth in his route tree, running a few comebacks and curls.
During his sophomore season, he demonstrated an advanced route tree for a collegiate player. Sutton started lining up on both sides of the field and occasionally in the slot as well. He ran at least six different routes on each game I charted in 2016. He even demonstrated the ability to run more advanced routes, such as the dig and the back-shoulder fade that has become very popular in the NFL. His ability to run these types of routes is one of the most exciting parts of his game. Many receivers have a difficult time picking up these routes and the fact he is already learning them gives him a leg up on other receivers in his class.
Overall, his most common route in those I charted was the nine. He ran that pattern on 35.32 percent of his routes. The curl was second, followed by the slant and comeback. These were his “big four” patterns, accounting for 81.2 percent of the routes I charted. All four of these patterns allow Sutton to utilize his size and strength.
As mentioned above, he also knows how to use his head and shoulders to set defenders up for double moves. These help him get behind defenders for long gains. While he is not the fastest receiver, he does have enough speed to create separation on go routes.
Sutton also demonstrates savviness while the ball is in the air. He occasionally gives defenders slight nudges to get them off balance or out of position but does so without receiving offensive pass interference penalties. His physicality actually leads to many defensive pass interference calls, as the defenders have a difficult time guarding him without using contact.
One of his best routes is the curl. He consistently does a great job of driving the defender back before he breaks back to his quarterback. That technique, combined with his size and tenacity at the catch point make that route very difficult to defend.
Great technique to drive defender back here. pic.twitter.com/nJ3okjHjE0
— Kyle Holden (@KyleHolden25) August 2, 2017
Once he catches the ball, he is also very difficult to tackle. He uses his large frame to drag and bounce off defenders.
Ball Skills
Sutton has tremendous ball skills. In the games I charted, I honestly felt he was going to come down with every ball thrown his way. He is able to catch balls away from his body, something not every receiver can do. He did have an occasional drop, but for the most part, he was very sure-handed when the passes were on target. He even made some spectacular one-handed, diving catches.
Sutton also does a great job of using his size in the end zone. He has strong hands and out-muscles defenders in contested-catch situations. These traits helped him score nine and ten touchdowns in his last two seasons respectively. He made numerous catches leaping over defenders and used his size to catch the ball. Check out this touchdown against Houston in 2016.
What a catch in the end zone here. pic.twitter.com/kE0yQupez6
— Kyle Holden (@KyleHolden25) August 2, 2017
His quarterback clearly has a lot of confidence in him. He often looks Sutton’s way on critical third and fourth downs and at the end of games. Even though Sutton draws a lot of attention from defenses, he is still able to get open. He also did not shy away from competition, as he posted some respectable numbers against some of the top teams in the nation, including Houston and Baylor.
As you can see in the chart below, his catch percentage rates were extremely high. A few throws were tipped at the line of scrimmage or well off-target. I did not count those against Sutton. I only counted the passes he was able to get a hand on.
There are some caveats for this chart. For instance, Sutton did not receive any targets while running screens or “others” on the routes I charted, so those can be discarded from the grid. In addition, the out and flat patterns only had one catch to calculate against. Regardless, with these catch rates being so high, it is easy to see why Sutton’s quarterback has a lot of confidence when throwing the ball in Sutton’s direction.
NFL Comparison
Growing up in Brenham, Texas, Sutton watched the Dallas Cowboys quite often. He enjoys watching Dez Bryant play and their games have some similarities. They are both very physical receivers who use their size and strength well in the end zone. They also excel on slants and contested catch situations.
Sutton’s game also has similarities to Andre Johnson’s. They are both extremely physical receivers who excel on slants and curls but still have the ability to beat defenders deep. In addition, both are tough to tackle when they have the ball in their hands.
Summary
Entering this season, Sutton is my favorite receiver in the projected 2018 NFL draft class. His size and athleticism give him a huge advantage over smaller defenders. While NFL cornerbacks are bigger and faster than those in college, Sutton can still be successful at the next level. He displayed the ability to run each type of pattern instead of strictly relying on his size on go routes.
Another part of Sutton’s game I like is the development he has displayed from year to year. At least some of this probably has to do with SMU head coach Chad Morris, who was Clemson’s offensive coordinator from 2011 to 2014, and his staff. At Clemson, Morris coached a trio of stud receivers in Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins, and Martavis Bryant. In the beginning of his redshirt freshman season, Sutton displayed a route tree limited to mostly nines. However, he showed the ability to run every type of pattern last season. His technique has also improved each year. Sutton has made strides every season he has played at SMU and I am eager to see what he has in store this season.
He is also a great blocker. He uses his size well to shield and control defenders. His experience as a safety shines through when he gets physical with cornerbacks.
Rightfully so, Sutton is going near the top of the first round in devy drafts, so you are going to need to secure possibly a top-three pick to have a chance at him in 2018 rookie drafts. Courtland Sutton, Derrius Guice, and Saquon Barkley are currently the top three picks on many people’s devy boards and I would be thrilled to have any of them.
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