Prospect Profile: SMU WR Courtland Sutton

Courtland Sutton Wide receiver | SMU | Redshirt Junior Height: 6-foot-3 | Weight: 218 College Stats 2017: 68 receptions for 1,085 yards and 12 touchdowns; First-Team All-AAC selection; was considered a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate and named to the Biletnikoff Preseason Watch List; ranked 18th on SI College Football’s Freaks List and No. 28 on its Top 100 Players of 2017 preseason list Career: 195 catches for 3,220 yards and 31 touchdowns over 39 games played for the Mustangs; in addition to First-Team All-AAC in 2017, Sutton also received the honor as a redshirt sophomore in 2016, becoming the first SMU receiver to be named First-Team All-Conference since Cowboys WR Cole Beasley; named by USA Today as a Freshman All-American after leading the Mustangs with 49 catches for 862 yards and nine touchdowns Combine Results 40-yard dash: 4.54 seconds Bench press: 18 reps of 225 pounds (tied for seventh among receivers) Broad jump: 10 feet, 4 inches (tied for sixth among receivers) Vertical jump: 35.5 inches 3-cone drill: 6.57 seconds (third among receivers) 20-yard shuttle: 4.11 seconds (fourth among receivers)Profile Summary: Sutton impressed on both sides of the field at Brenham High School (Texas), where he played receiver and safety. The big-bodied athlete was given a shot at receiver as a true freshman at SMU but suffered a season-ending injury after two games and was awarded a medical redshirt. Sutton impressed upon his return in 2015, starting all 12 games and finishing as SMU’s leading receiver. According to his NFL.com draft profile, Sutton is a “willing worker in the middle of traffic” and doesn’t shy away from contact. His ability to utilize body positions to extend the catch radius and “pry open throwing window for his quarterback” is highly praised. Analyst Lance Zierlein said that Sutton will need to improve as a route runner but his “ability to win in contested catch situations could get him early playing time” as a team’s second or third receiver. Stacking up: NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock ranked Sutton No. 3 among wide receivers heading into the combine and afterward bumped him to No. 4 on the list. Fellow analyst Bucky Brooks in his pre-combine rankings also tabbed Sutton as the fourth-best receiver in this year’s class. Maximizing his size: At 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds, Sutton is a larger-than-average receiver but said he’s learned to use his size to his advantage. He said he keeps his eyes on other big-bodied receivers in the NFL. “There are a lot of benefits to being that guy. I try to make sure I’m maximizing that,” Sutton told reporters during his combine podium session. “I watch a lot of guys who are doing that in the NFL right now. So I get to watch Julio Jones do that. I get to watch Brandon Marshall do that. I get to watch Larry Fitzgerald do that. I get to watch those guys be successful at being big-bodied receivers and see what they do well and try to emulate that in my game and add that to my arsenal – even if that’s something small like being able to pin a cornerback in a right spot or knowing how to box out a DB when the ball is in the air. “So just small things, just being able to add those qualities that shorter, smaller receivers can’t really do,” Sutton added. “Try to make sure I’m playing to my size and not being [6-3] and playing at 6-foot.”

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Prospect Profile: SMU WR Courtland Sutton

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