Courtland Sutton has been steady and solid for the Denver Broncos ever since they took him with the 40th overall pick in the 2018 season. Besides an ACL injury that sidelined him in 2020, Sutton has posted at least 700 yards in every season he’s played in the orange and blue, going for over 1,000 in 2019 and 2024.
Pro Football Focus, better known as PFF, recently released its wide receiver rankings heading into the 2025 season. Sutton was the only Bronco on the list, coming in at 31st overall on the sixth tier. The other receivers in that tier are Washington’s Deebo Samuel, who arguably used to be in the first tier, and Detroit’s Jameson Williams, a young speedster with loads of potential.
PFF labeled Sutton as a “model of consistency for the Broncos” and used his grades given out by the analytics company over the years as reference, as he has yet to finish a full season with a grade below a 70.0.
Sutton is slated at a pretty good spot relative to the other receivers in the league, as there is a wide abundance of talent on the outside throughout the NFL. You could argue that he should be higher, but what really hurts him is the drops, as his 10 drops a season ago ranked 93rd among 98 qualifying receivers (some databases have it as nine drops, some as 10). He also ranks 92nd in yards after the catch per reception, as he’s not the best guy to snag a ball and turn it upfield
One of his drops also came at the mostly costly point of the season, as he dropped a ball over the middle against the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card game that would’ve put Denver in field goal range with a chance to tie or take the lead.
Courtland Sutton has to catch this. You would think that in his first ever playoff game he would care enough to not drop a ball for once, but apparently not. This was inexcusable and was costly pic.twitter.com/NjO8suqHqj
— Leo (@Leo__260) January 13, 2025
On the flip side, he makes plenty of catches that no other receiver is making, and he’s been doing it for his whole career.
Courtland Sutton comes down with a WILD touchdown catch 👀
📺: #LACvsDEN on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/zPOmhitQ43
— NFL (@NFL) October 13, 2024
In 2024, he finished the season with 81 catches for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns. Along with that, 57 of his 81 receptions went for a first down, a number that was tied for the eighth-best mark in the league alongside his former teammate Jerry Jeudy. Among the receivers who ranked in the top 15 in first downs last year, Sutton had the least amount of receptions.
This ranking is by no means a knock on the seven-year veteran out of SMU, but rather a showcase of the talent in the NFL. Sutton has his things that he does great, such as contested catches, and things he doesn’t do great, such as getting yards after the catch. One thing is for certain, and that’s that Sutton is poised for another big year in 2025 if the Broncos’ offense makes the leap that it’s supposed to in Bo Nix’s second season.