Cowboys thoroughly scouting WR prospects; SMU's Sutton says he's at top
Much of this off-season has focused on the wide receiver corps for the Dallas Cowboys.
They’ve signed a couple free agents. There’s the Dez Bryant contract situation. And there’s chatter about how Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley will rebound from down years.
Oh, and the Cowboys are doing their homework on this year’s wide receiver class. Coach Jason Garrett and new wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal spent Wednesday in Alabama working with Calvin Ridley, and then Thursday in Dallas working with Courtland Sutton.
Ridley and Sutton are considered two of the top prospects in this year’s NFL draft. Well, depending who you ask.
“I personally believe that I’m the best receiver on the board,” Sutton said. “Whoever takes me is going to get a guy who is going to come in and show that.”
Sutton, who is 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds, had a standout college career at SMU. In his final two years, he had 1,000-yard receiving seasons with at least 10 touchdowns.
“I’d say that I’m a dominant receiver, a big body, fast, dominant receiver,” Sutton said. “A guy who when he’s on the field everybody knows where he is. I’m going to make plays. When the ball is coming my way, I’m going to make a play. Or if I’ve got to block for a running back, I’m going to make that play.
“Whatever my job is, I’m a guy who is going to be there and doing his job.”
Sutton left a favorable impression on the Cowboys coaches. Along with Garrett and Lal, there were representatives from 25 teams, including four wide receiver coaches.
“He can catch the ball like no other,” Lal said of Sutton. “He’s got a huge catch radius. Strong hands. So that’s a start. If a receiver can catch, obviously that’s key. Then, he’s coachable. We were giving him, on the fly, some coaching points and kind of coaching him a little hard, seeing how he would respond, and he responded. He’s not polished like most of these guys coming out, but a great athlete, and he’s a moldable piece of clay.”
This story was originally published March 30, 2018 at 9:05 AM with the headline "Cowboys thoroughly scouting WR prospects; SMU's Sutton says he's at top."