Courtland Sutton Scouting Report

SMU WR Courtland Sutton Scouting Report:

Photo by Andrew Dieb, USA Today

Courtland Sutton took an odd path to being a top NFL prospect. A converted defensive back, Sutton played WR for the first time when he arrived at SMU. Since then he has improved every year, bringing that defensive back toughness with him. He is a tantalizing prospect, but one certainly worth a 1^st round pick on. Here’s why:

Measurables: 6’3-3/8’’, 218 lbs, 32-3/8’’ arms, 9-3/4’’ hands

Year (Age): Four Year Junior (22)

Career stats by year:

						Receiving				Rushing				Scrimmage
Year	School	Conf	Class	Pos	G	Rec	Yds	Avg	TD	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Plays	Yds	Avg	TD
2014	SMU	American	FR	DB	3	2	27	13.5	0	0	0		0	2	27	13.5	0
2015	SMU	American	FR	WR	12	49	862	17.6	9	0	0		0	49	862	17.6	9
2016	SMU	American	SO	WR	12	76	1246	16.4	10	0	0		0	76	1246	16.4	10
*2017	SMU	American	JR	WR	13	68	1085	16.0	12	1	2	2.0	1	69	1087	15.8	13
Career	SMU					195	3220	16.5	31	1	2	2.0	1	196	3222	16.4	32

Drop Rate: 3.9%

Pro Day: 

40-yard Dash: 4.54 seconds

Vertical Jump: 35-1/2 inches

Broad Jump: 124 inches

3-cone Drill: 6.57 seconds

20-yard Shuttle: 4.11 seconds

60-yard Shuttle: 11.06 seconds

Bench Press: 18 reps

Tape Evaluation:

Strengths: Courtland Sutton is a physically dominant wide receiver. He is tall and muscular, and his physical gifts are amazing. He doesn’t have the quickest release off of the line of scrimmage, but he is strong enough to break press coverages. Once he gets moving, Sutton is much faster than one would think. He eats up cushion against off coverage and can gain steps on wide receivers playing press. Sutton is a good route runner who is faster than I thought he would be in and out of his breaks. For a guy that big, it’s impressive. Once the ball is in the air, Sutton truly shines. He is great at timing his jumps and has phenomenal concentration to haul in passes both above his head and below the waist. Once the ball is in his hands, Sutton is a tough man to bring down thanks to his great strength and underrated agility. On top of this, Sutton is an absolute dog when asked to block and is the type of guy you want to send runners behind.

Weaknesses: Courtland Sutton does have some drop issues. While his drop percentage is low, he did have to concentration drops in the short to intermediate range that caused concern. Because of Sutton’s lack of burst, I do have concerns about his ability to win against explosive corners like Janoris Jenkins and Marshon Lattimore. He is going to have to bully those guys in order to win.

Pro Comparison: Josh Gordon

If it weren’t for his off the field issues, Josh Gordon would be a consensus top-5 receiver in the pros. He is that physically gifted. He has the size to win in the air, but also the speed to run good routes and gain valuable YAC. He should be the go to guy for the Browns assuming he keeps his nose clean, and I expect Courtland Sutton will be as well for some lucky team.

 Teams that Fit: The 9^th overall pick is a little bit rich for Courtland Sutton, but if the 49ers trade back with a QB needy team, Sutton makes perfect sense for them. The Ravens brought in Michael Crabtree, but they could still use another threat on the outside. Courtland Sutton would bring that offense a threat it has lacked since Anquan Boldin. The Cowboys cut Dez Bryant before the draft, so Sutton should be in play for the 19th overall pick.

Where he should go: 1^st Round

Where he (probably) will go: Top 50 Picks

Conclusion:

Courtland Sutton is potential WR1 thanks to his size and athleticism. With some polish and good coaching, Sutton should be a star in the pros.

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Combine Results courtesy of MockDraftable.com, Drop Percentage courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Career Statistics courtesy of sports-reference.com/cfb, Date of Birth courtesy of Scout Hub