When you talk draft and Ravens just about everybody zones in on Calvin Ridley, but Courtalnd Sutton is one of the most underrated options with the 16th pick:
Courtland Sutton is more talented than you think he is. Don’t get fooled by the fact that he played at SMU. If he played at Alabama or Ole Miss, everyone would be talking about Sutton as the next Julio Jones. That’s what he is. He is the next Julio Jones, ladies and gentlemen.
One of my colleagues debated me on this point. His take was that he was a dominant player but it was against a weaker level of competition. A weaker level of competition didn’t seem to matter for Carson Wentz. I actually think many members of the Ravens Flock are over analyzing Sutton. Everyone is so afraid of taking the next Breshad Perriman that many of us are finding every reason to reject receivers not named Ridley.
Every prospect has weaknesses or concerns. For example, Ridley doesn’t catch the ball that well in traffic. He isn’t a very physical receiver and that doesn’t get talked about that much. Sutton did not have the biggest stage at SMU but he isn’t like Perriman. In fact, if Perriman never was selected by the Ravens, fans would be much less tentative.
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He isn’t just a player that looks the part with blazing speed. He’s a talented wide receiver who is always open, even when he’s covered. Sutton is a tough wide receiver who can seemingly catch anything. Sutton has a larger catch radius than any receiver in this draft. He’s got the big body, with speed he’s got hands as well. I would argue that the Ravens can’t go wrong with Ridley, but Sutton is more in line with the receivers Flacco has had the most success with. Flacco throws 50/50 balls and nobody is better at grabbing them than Sutton.
Closing Statement:
Every time I watch the Atlanta Falcons, I think how nice it would be to have a receiver like Jones. Just about everybody who knows anything knows this is Sutton’s upside. If I was in the Ravens war room, I would be banging on the table for Sutton. There is a good chance that Ridley gets taken before the 16th pick. There are a lot of good receivers in this draft class but Ridley and Sutton are the two great receivers in the bunch.
Next: Making the case to cut or keep Perriman
Every year I do draft work, and there is a pile of guys on the I’m wrong about and a pile of guys on that I’m right about. That’s how this thing goes and anyone who tells you differently isn’t being absolutely truthful. My “right” pile is a lot taller than my wrong pile. There is no sure thing in the NFL Draft but I have a lot of confidence in Sutton. The Ravens shouldn’t let SMU be the reason that they’re scared off. The Ravens shouldn’t overthink it because they were wrong about receivers in the past. Sutton looks legit and if he’s the next Julio, they should draft him.