Broncos WR Courtland Sutton Disrespected by PFF

The NFL offseason eventually reaches a point where lists and rankings reign across the internet. Pro Football Focus is at the forefront, publishing one ranking/list after another.

PFF recently disrespected the Denver Broncos and Bo Nix by placing him 19th in its 2025 quarterback rankings, somehow behind a few other signal-callers with no business being ahead of him. The Broncos disrespect continues, with PFF ranking Courtland Sutton as the No. 31-ranked wide receiver in the NFL.  

"Sutton has been a model of consistency for the Broncos. Since 2019, he has earned a receiving grade below 70.0 only once (69.7 in 2022), but he’s also surpassed the 80.0 mark just once (2020). With Denver’s offense expected to take a step forward in 2025, this could be Sutton’s most productive season yet," PFF's Trevor Sikkema wrote.

There are a lot of great receivers in the NFL and a good number of elite pass-catchers. Sutton has his issues, and while he has been a consistent producer, he only has two 1,000-yard receiving campaigns in seven years. Outside of the 2020 season, where Sutton missed almost all of it due to an ACL injury, he has three seasons under 800 receiving yards and three over that mark. 

However, Sutton hasn’t had great quarterback play for most of his career, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that when Denver finally finds some stability in Nix, Sutton eclipsed 1,000 yards again. So, there is an argument for Sutton ranking so low. However, when you dig into some of the receivers ranked ahead of him, there's no other way to view his 31st ranking than through a lens of disrespect.

Directly ahead of Sutton is Deebo Samuel, who has one career season over 1,000 yards, and it was in 2021. Samuel has been plagued by injuries over recent years, and there are concerns about his weight. Even when you factor in total yards from scrimmage, Samuel's production isn’t better than Sutton's, and he has those injury concerns, unlike Sutton. 

Then you have a group of young guys in Josh Downs and Rashee Rice. Rice may be suspended for some of the season.

Downs is on an upward climb, and Rice has been a good receiver when on the field for the Kansas City Chiefs, but injuries and possible suspension raise concerns for the 2025 season. Downs will likely be impacted by the Indianapolis Colts' questionable quarterback play.

However, the most egregious player ranked ahead of Sutton is Chris Olave. Now, Olave arguably has more talent and potential than Sutton, being only 24 years old, compared to Sutton being 29 going on 30, which plays a factor.

Here's the thing, though: Olave has missed games each season, and though he put over 1,000 receiving yards in his first two seasons, his availability is a concern. Concussions have been a plague on his availability, as Sikkema acknowledges.

“However, his concussion history is a growing concern. A fully healthy season could easily propel him into the top 20,” Sikkema wrote.

Every other receiver ranked above Sutton makes sense. Those four players raise serious questions about Sutton’s ranking and clearly put a significant value on youth and potential in three of the four. However, injuries can derail that potential, and two of those three young players have those concerns this season, and the best ability is availability. 

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Sutton ranking No. 31 isn’t egregiously low because of how talented the position is in the NFL, but he should be a few spots higher when you dig into the handful of players ranked ahead of him. Even at 29 going on 30, Sutton still has untapped potential, and finally having a quality quarterback throwing him the ball could help him reach it.