2018 NFL Draft Prospects Who Must Step Up in Week 12

Courtland Sutton (WR – SMU) vs. Memphis

Courtland Sutton is only a redshirt junior, but he’s expected to declare for the 2018 NFL Draft. He even posted his Senior Bowl invitation on Twitter earlier this week.

Sutton leaving SMU after this season looks like a foregone conclusion, so NFL scouting departments can get a head start on his evaluation. The 6-foot-4 wideout is having another excellent year for the Mustangs and is well on his way to another 1,000-yard season. SMU is already bowl eligible, so Sutton likely has three games left in his college career.

The first of those three games take place this weekend against the 21st ranked Memphis Tigers. In the two games Sutton has played against Memphis, SMU has been outscored 114-7. With Riley Ferguson and the high-powered Memphis offense on the other side of the field, Sutton will need a career day if the Mustangs hope to keep pace.

Sutton is expected to be a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. If he can prove he’s capable of running a wide variety of routes, something he’s not asked to do at SMU, Sutton could even be the first wide receiver off the board. While the Senior Bowl will have a much bigger impact on his stock than this weekend’s game, it’s important for Sutton to enter the offseason with momentum.