Emmanuel Sanders was drafted by the Pittsburg Steelers in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft. Despite playing for a relatively small school in Southern Methodist University, Sanders caught the attention of NFL teams through his work ethic and production.
As a senior, Sanders hauled in 98 receptions for 1,339 yards and seven touchdowns. He now plays for the Denver Broncos and another SMU wide receiver — Courtland Sutton — is about to become his teammate.
The Broncos selected Sutton in the second round of this year’s draft after he hauled in 68 receptions for 1,085 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior. The 22-year-old receiver credits Sanders for helping him reach his full potential.
“While I was at SMU, I wanted to understand how he was able to be as productive as he was at SMU,” Sutton said at an introductory press conference on Saturday. “I reached out to him a few times through Twitter DMs just to see what did he do to elevate his game, to get that national attention.”
So what was Sanders’ secret?
“He showed up every day,” Sutton said. “It didn’t matter if the lights weren’t on, the times where people weren’t at the facility, he was there working on his craft so that whenever the cameras were on, the lights were on and it was game time, he was able to show his traits.
“That’s one thing that I wanted to make sure I was doing when nobody was there at the facility and nobody was watching. That’s when I was up there working, making sure I was getting my job done, so that way whenever the lights were on and the cameras were on, I was able to put my best foot forward. I was able to do that.”
Sutton will now hope to make a name for himself in the NFL just as Sanders has. Entering his ninth year in the league, the 31-year-old Sanders has earned two Pro Bowl selections and won a Super Bowl since leaving SMU in 2009. Sutton would probably love to have a similar career.
“I’m going to come in, I’m going to find out what E-Man does, what Demaryius [Thomas] does,” Sutton said. “What do they do to make them All-Pros and to make them dominant people at their position?
“I’m going to follow them and figure out what it is that’s going to get me to that level so I can be able to perform day in and day out at a very high level.”