Besides being drafted by the Denver Broncos, wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant have another thing in common: both were coached by Justin Stepp in college. Sutton was under Stepp's wing at SMU before becoming a Broncos second-round pick in 2018, while Bryant played under him at Illinois in 2025.
Considering how much hay Sutton has made for Sean Payton since his arrival as head coach in 2023, it's easy to understand how Bryant became an apple of the Broncos' eye in this year's draft. Some critics still decry the Bryant pick and how the Broncos 'reached,' but the way the rookie wideout approaches his game and his style are very similar to Sutton.
“My main focus when the ball is in the air is, ‘It’s mine, and I’m better than the man that’s in front of me,’” Bryant said via The Athletic's Nick Kosmider.
As Illinois' wide receivers coach, it didn't take long for Stepp to connect the Sutton dots.
“He’s just like Courtland,” Stepp said via Kosmider.
Go read The Athletic article to learn more about the Sutton/Bryant roots with Stepp and all the commonalities the two wideouts share. The confidence, the my-ball mentality, the ability to come down with the ball at the catch point, the size — Sutton and Bryant check many of the same boxes.
That leads some to wonder why the Broncos drafted Bryant, if he's so similar to Sutton. In understanding that, it's important to remember that the body types are a standard for Coach Payton, who covets those 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-4 big-bodied receivers to work the boundary and the slot.
Payton had a few such guys over the years in New Orleans, including Marques Colston and Michael Thomas. One familiar name to Broncos Country is Lil'Jordan Humphrey, who happens to be 6-foot-4 and is willing and able to also block on the perimter. Humphrey followed Payton to Denver in 2023, but took a deal with the New York Giants recently.
Sutton is a willing blocker, too, but Bryant takes it to a different level, embracing the 'no block, no rock' mentality. Broncos 2024 seventh-rounder Devaughn Vele is another example of the towering prototype that resonates with Payton.
Perhaps not right away, but at some point in the not too distant future, it wouldn't be a shock to see Sutton and Bryant both in the Broncos' starting lineup, with Marvin Mims Jr. sandwiched in between, or in some format featuring the trio. Also, Sutton is entering a contract year, and while all the signals the Broncos have sent this offseason point to a coming extension, it's not done until it's done.
It's hard to predict how negotiations might shake out and what unforeseen obstacles could drive a wedge between player and team. I don't expect that to happen, especially considering that Sutton not only led the Broncos in receiving with a 1,000-yard campaign, but has really bonded with second-year quarterback Bo Nix.
But if things ever fell through with Sutton, Bryant would be the team's fail-safe. That's not the Plan A, so to speak. The Broncos want both wideouts catching passes for Nix underneath and down the field.
Before we can get too deep envisioning what that will look like, Bryant's cleats have to hit the grass at Dove Valley. The Broncos will host their rookie minicamp later this week, running from May 9-11, giving fans their first look at Bryant in the Orange and Blue.
As a former team captain at Illinois, it shouldn't take Bryant long to fit in, considering his football character and leadership. It'll be fun seeing how he navigates through the offseason and whether he can build up some momentum entering training camp in late July.
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