The Case for Courtland Sutton at 8
Courtland Sutton is rising late on draft boards, could the Chicago Bears shock the NFL and take him at number eight?
Those of you who have gotten this far have probably only clicked on this article with the plan to skip the content and scroll right down to the bottom of the page and call the author (that’s me) a moron. Courtland Sutton at 8? Why is this even a discussion some might say? That’s probably because they haven’t been paying attention to the SMU product.
Heading into the combine, Sutton was considered a second-round prospect, but after scouts really got a look at Sutton up close, he started climbing the board. Recently, Sutton now seems destined for the first round, and now, the Sutton buzz has reached this point:
Starting to hear Courtland Sutton's name come up as the first WR off the board in front of Calvin Ridley. Will be interesting to find out how many teams will prefer Sutton's size as the determining factor.
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 13, 2018
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Alabama WR Calvin Ridley is a really safe pick. He runs great routes and has a high floor. But how much ceiling is there with Ridley? It’s probably pretty low. The Ridley you see as a rookie is going to be the Ridley you are going to get. But Sutton has a chance to become something special. Sutton has tremendous size and his hands are ridiculous. Sutton has tremendous confidence and knows how to use his body to win position battles with defensive backs that put him in prime spots to make catches.
Sutton is far more raw than someone like Ridley. His routes aren’t crisp and he doesn’t get great separation, but his size, strength and hands are all aspects of this prospect that have many scouts drooling.
Many GMs (Ryan Pace included) love first round picks with giant upside.Sutton’s upside definitely trumps that of Ridley but without question, Ridley is the safer pick. If Sutton’s routes and separation don’t improve he could wind up a mediocre receiver. But if Sutton improves he could be a special player.
If someone like Sutton is targeted by Pace, the logical move would be to trade down on the surface. However, last year most mock drafts didn’t have any receivers going in the top ten and when draft night hit, three were selected that high. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that some of these players that are labeled mid to late first round prospects make a jump on draft night.
After the Kevin White disaster, would Pace use another top 10 pick on a receiver? He might be gun-shy, but if he decides he wants another receiver for Matt Nagy’s offense, Sutton might be his choice.