Courtland Sutton with the Denver Broncos, 2019
With the Denver Broncos, 2019. Photo: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Receiver, SMU, 2014–⁠17

Courtland Sutton

Number
No. 16
Height
6′4″
Weight
216 lb
Hometown
Brenham, TX
Born
Oct 10, 1995

Courtland Sutton played receiver at SMU (2014–⁠17). The Denver Broncos took Sutton in round 2, No. 40 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
1,246
Receiving yards, 2016 (SMU, 5–⁠7)
Best game
252 yards
Vs. South Florida, week 12, 2016: No. 1 receiving game in FBS that week
National rank
No. 8
In FBS in receiving touchdowns, 2017
Drafted
No. 40
Round 2, 2018 NFL Draft (Denver Broncos)

Career highs

13catches, career highvs. South Florida, 2016252receiving yards, career highvs. South Florida, 20164receiving touchdowns, career highvs. North Texas, 2017

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2014SMU22713.5020
2015SMU4986217.6951
2016SMU761,24616.41088
2017SMU681,08516.01262
Career1953,22016.53188

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosHtWt
2014SMU16WR
2015SMU16WR
2016SMU16WR
2017SMU16WR6′4″216

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsage
2014SMU21.21––2.4–
2015SMU830.8693rd (n=465)0.5371.210%
2016SMU1250.7681st (n=489)0.5295.013%
2017SMU1270.5148th (n=507)0.5264.213%

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2017 SMU 13 games, 68 catches, 1,085 yards, 12 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 2vs.Stephen F. AustinW 58–⁠14222113–
Sep 9vs.North TexasW 54–⁠328163462–
Sep 16atTCUL 36–⁠561000–
Sep 23vs.Arkansas StateW 44–⁠212320202
Sep 30vs.UConnW 49–⁠287112234–
Oct 7atHoustonL 22–⁠3511160030–
Oct 21atCincinnatiW 31–⁠28681233–
Oct 27vs.TulsaW 38–⁠346136044–
Nov 4vs.UCFL 24–⁠31546014–
Nov 11atNavyL 40–⁠437123249–
Nov 18atMemphisL 45–⁠66135135–
Nov 25vs.TulaneW 41–⁠386107024–
Dec 20 ✦vs.Louisiana TechL 10–⁠51668022–
2016 SMU 12 games, 76 catches, 1,246 yards, 10 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 3atNorth TexasW 34–⁠214162388–
Sep 10atBaylorL 13–⁠406112139–
Sep 17vs.LibertyW 29–⁠14362047–
Sep 23vs.TCUL 3–⁠335113037–
Oct 1atTempleL 20–⁠45443016–
Oct 7atTulsaL 40–⁠43898025–
Oct 22vs.HoustonW 38–⁠16783129–
Oct 29atTulaneW 35–⁠31225016–
Nov 5vs.MemphisL 7–⁠51670029–
Nov 12atEast CarolinaW 55–⁠3112166235–
Nov 19vs.South FloridaL 27–⁠3513252254–
Nov 26vs.NavyL 31–⁠75660119–
2015 SMU 12 games, 49 catches, 862 yards, 9 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 4vs.BaylorL 21–⁠56382246–
Sep 12vs.North TexasW 31–⁠13565127–
Sep 19atTCUL 37–⁠564115146–
Sep 26vs.James MadisonL 45–⁠485137151–
Oct 3vs.East CarolinaL 23–⁠49451022–
Oct 8atHoustonL 28–⁠49648115–
Oct 24atSouth FloridaL 14–⁠38356137–
Oct 31vs.TulsaL 31–⁠408165244–
Nov 6vs.TempleL 40–⁠60229016–
Nov 14atNavyL 14–⁠55224018–
Nov 21vs.TulaneW 49–⁠21545018–
Nov 28atMemphisL 0–⁠63245036–
2014 SMU 1 game, 2 catches, 27 yards
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 20vs.Texas A&ML 6–⁠58227020–

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

DrillCombine 2018Combine or pro day 2018
Height6′3⅜″
Weight218 lb
Arm length32⅜″
Hand size9¾″
Wingspan79¼″W
40-yard dash4.54 s
10-yard split1.50 s
Vertical jump35½″
Broad jump10′4″
Bench press18 reps
3-cone drill6.57 s
20-yard shuttle4.11 s

Combine or pro day: the source doesn’t say which. Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

9 seasons, 119 games with a stat; latest team: Denver Broncos.

Pro Bowls: 2 (2019, 2025)

SeasonTeamGRecYdsTD
2018Denver Broncos16427044
2019Denver Broncos16721,1126
2020Denver Broncos13660
2021Denver Broncos17587762
2022Denver Broncos15648292
2023Denver Broncos165977210
2024Denver Broncos16811,0818
2025Denver Broncos17741,0177
2026 (so far)Denver Broncos5111041
NFL career1194646,46140

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat. Pro Bowls and All-Pro teams by NFL season: rosters and honors, Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

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