Carter's Classroom: Is Sutton the answer to man coverage issues?

While cornerback was widely considered as a primary concern for the Steelers coming into the draft, Kevin Colbert didn't address the position until the third round.

Cameron Sutton wasn't one of the premier talents at the position in this draft class, but he was one of the most unknown prospects because of his combine performance and lack of exciting stats. What he did have on his side was four years as a starting cornerback in the SEC.

Sutton became a team captain alongside Derek Barnett, partially because he could play cornerback at any spot on the field. He specialized in covering the slot receiver but could proficiently run with receivers outside the numbers as well.

The Steelers most definitely took note of that and thought he would be a good addition to their secondary and possibly an answer to their woes when they try to switch to man coverage.



Sutton failed to rank among the top of his cornerback class in any of the five events in which he participated in Indianapolis. His 4.52 time in the 40 combined with his 5-11 height wouldn't wow any scouts, neither did his seven interceptions over a span of four seasons.

What did jump out to me when watching his tape was how well he could shadow the underneath routes and match the quick feet of receivers. He also is competitive when the ball is in the air and shows solid situational awareness as to when to play aggressively to protect the first down or passively to not get burned:

MAN COVERAGE

When asked to press receivers, Sutton did a solid job of being patient enough to not commit too early to a route and quick enough to turn and run with his receiver.

Watch how Sutton doesn't jam his man with his hands, but still shadows him effectively to make a play on the ball with a precise swipe from behind the receiver:



One thing that I particularly liked was how Sutton never gave up on a route. Even when he was beaten by an initial move he would work to get back in position to make a play on the ball. On the above play, Sutton isn't really beaten by a move, but has to come from behind to make a play on the ball.

Here's a better example of when Sutton is shaken off his man but doesn't give up to make a play:



Sure, the pass was horribly under thrown and, if led down the field could have been completed, but the point of the above play is how Sutton's motor is always going. When you don't have elite speed or supreme height, that's what can even the playing field.

What can also do that is well executed technique. When I watch Sutton work against receivers I rarely see him cross his feet up or take false steps that waste time in his backpedal or in his mirroring of opposing receivers.

Watch how he runs with the deep ball and is able to play the back shoulder throw perfectly for the interception:



Sutton is not a baiting style of cornerback that will notch several interceptions like Adoree' Jackson, instead he does his best to cover his man up and down the field to make the tightest of windows for quarterbacks to hit his man.

That style is part of the reason why he had so few interceptions. Several games you would not see his assigned receivers targeted as much because he was always running with them and was the least favored defensive back to pick on by quarterbacks.

There would be times he would get beat, as all defensive backs do, but his consistent motor and coverage skills made him an asset and not a liability to the program's defense.

SITUATIONAL

Even when Sutton is not in tight man coverage, he finds ways to make a play on the ball and was often the most aware of the offense's goals on his team.

Watch how he plays off-coverage on the slanting receiver in the below play. He keeps his eyes on the receiver and not in the backfield, like many overeager defensive backs would, which allows him to make a good estimate on what route the receiver is running.

Understand that the first down is right at the 40 yard line and it appears that Sutton is playing to protect that spot. As soon as Sutton recognizes the slant, he breaks to the spot where the receiver is going and turns his head to start looking for the ball:



That's great situational awareness on his part being able to dissect the receiver's route, break on the ball, make a play on the ball, and thwart a third-and-short opportunity for the opposing offense. Those plays won't light up a stat sheet or make the highlight reel, but they tally up as big moments for the defense.

TACKLING

Sutton's biggest weakness comes in his run support. He's not a form tackler and will definitely need to improve to be in the Steelers' defense come September. Sutton will sometimes sell out for big hits but lacks the big hit power to always deliver the way a Mike Mitchell would, leaving himself exposed against bigger running backs.

But where would the fun be in watching a play about a missed tackle? Let's look at when one of those sellout big hit attempts paid off. This one came when he recognized a screen pass to the flat back in 2014:



Notice how Sutton puts his head down, lowers his shoulder and brings his hands together to try to bring the most force as possible on the hit. These are all football sins that would set him up for failure against the bigger, faster and more talented running backs in the NFL.

Rest assured, Carnell Lake will put him through the ringer to make sure any cornerback that gets in the Steelers' regular lineup will have their brain engraved with the proper tackling technique. It won't solve all the problems, but it will make missed tackles a much less occurrence.

But still, on that above play Sutton made sure he got jacked up.

RETURN SKILLS

Sutton also brings the prospect of being a returner to the team. While he looks like he could be good on the defensive side of special teams, he also had his moments with the ball in his hands that did impress in his younger years at Tennessee.

Here's an example of a touchdown he had back in 2014:



My guess is that Sutton doesn't get much into the return game unless they really don't like any of their other options. The newly acquired Knile Davis can be a returner and is much faster than Sutton, and DeMarcus Ayers was a very good returner for Houston two seasons ago, despite not being given the opportunity even once last season.

STEAL? REACH? OR JUST RIGHT?

Sutton was widely considered to be anywhere between a third- to a fourth-round pick, so according to the consensus of projections, the Steelers found the right time to pick him off the board.

But what may be left to wonder is if the Steelers would have done better to draft the other talent at cornerback that went off the board shortly after Sutton.

For example, Clemson's Cordrea Tankersley was selected by the Dolphins just three picks later. In his last two seasons he had nine interceptions, two more than Sutton, while he stands 6' 1" and runs a 4.40 time in the 40 yard dash. Also taken shortly after Sutton was Rasul Douglas of West Virginia and Brendan Langley of Lamar.

Both are taller cornerbacks and Langley boasted a 4.43 in the 40 yard dash.

This leads to the assumption that Colbert must have liked the traits he saw in Sutton as both a hard working player and as a leader to make him more valuable to the taller and faster options that were available on the board and considered to be of the same approximate draft value as Sutton.

What also may have shined through to the Steelers was how Sutton was able to be plugged in throughout Tennessee's defense at multiple spots without losing a step. The Steelers specifically need a cornerback that can cover the slot and will have interesting competition for that spot in training camp.

While Artie Burns and Ross Cockrell will be the guys outside the numbers, Sutton will have to compete with Senquez Golson and Coty Sensabaugh for the slot cornerback position. Golson was drafted two seasons ago to fill that spot but has yet to see an NFL down due to injuries, while Sensabaugh is the newest free agent addition to the secondary.

William Gay will also be in the mix, but after his poor showing in the AFC championship game, it would be safe to say he won't be the guy the Steelers put all their chips on this season.

This means that if all works as planned when they drafted Sutton, they have a guy that can potentially play the slot, but also grow into being a cornerback on the outside as well when Cockrell or Burns get hurt.

Ultimately, Sutton is a guy that won't be a turnover machine but will blanket receivers and force quarterbacks to either make very questionable decisions or force them to look to other options. If that ends up being towards the former first round pick in Burns, that could play to the Steelers' advantage.