Week 5: Courtland Sutton continues to lead SMU Ponies in NFL
Courtland Sutton continues to lead the Ponies in the NFL, but some other players are starting to show glimmers of promise in their production, while others are being plagued by injuries.
Here’s the Week 5 update for SMU Players in the NFL…
Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
The Broncos pulled off the major upset win over the Eagles 21-17, with Courtland Sutton tallying 8 of 10 targets for 99 yards for an average of 12.4 yards.
No touchdowns this week for the star receiver this week though but he definitely had Quinyon Mitchell working to defend him.
Despite not finding the endzone, Sutton’s plays were nothing less than stellar. Check out this play below.
Clearly, Sutton will continue to be Nix’s go-to guy.
Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
One more week to go! Rice is still serving a six-week suspension initiated at the beginning of the season.
And after the Chiefs loss to the Jacksonville Jags they hold a losing record at 2-3 and will be looking for a change in the lineup to get production going.
Rice should absolutely be on your radar as an SMU player in the NFL to watch for.
Brashard Smith, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
After a Week 4 breakout performance for Smith in the Chiefs blowout win over Baltimore, this week Smith continued on the up and up. He was active in the run game with one carry for four yards, but really, his passing game was what truly shined this week. He snagged 3 receptions for 32 yards, averaging over 10 yards per reception. One grab was even a 15 yard gain for the Chiefs.
HC Andy Reid said they wanted to utilize Smith more and it appears they are getting some snaps in, but it might be time to really get him into the thick of things. Smith has been nothing short of explosive on the field even in the spurts we have gotten to see, and with a losing record looming, the time is now.
We got you fired up on Brashard Smith in our preview of SMU players in the NFL at the start of the season, as one of two mustangs drafted in the 2025 Draft and now it’s very clear Smith is an SMU player in the NFL to keep an eye on in the Chiefs backfield and otherwise.
Brandon Stephens, CB, New York Jets
The cornerback continues to show production in Week 4, but is just slightly down from last week’s numbers, with six total tackles, five being solo. But again, don’t let the numbers fool you.
Stephens is getting his steam back and it’s showing.
Keep an eye on Stephens stepping up into more of a role in the Jets D, especially as a veteran.
Kelvin Beachum, LT, Arizona Cardinals
Kelvin Beachum was back in full production for the Cardinals and suited up on the line. In fact, he even saw some placement for other opportunities.
No looks or passes that way though but the lineman is healthy and back on the line ready to protect QB Kyler Murray. And with the Cardinals tight loss 22-21 to the Tennessee Titans last week, expect Arizona to be hungry for a win.
Grant Calcaterra, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
It was another double-digit Sunday for Calcaterra, despite it being cut short with a potential injury. The TE snagged 2-2 targets for 18 yards, averaging 9 yards on each reception, after being ruled out with an oblique injury.
Calcaterra is still listed as a DNP for practice and his status for Week 6 has not been finalized though he is unlikely to be ready for Thursday’s game vs. the Giants, per Jeff McLane.
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Elijah Roberts, DE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Roberts joined the stat board Sunday with a single tackle in the Bucs win over Seattle seeing 20% of snaps.
Head Coach Todd Bowles said promising things about the DE last week and it would appear he is continuing his production.
Evan Brown, G, Arizona Cardinals
Brown did not fare as well as his fellow pony on the Cards line injury-wise, as he sat out of Sunday’s matchup. Now he is listed back at questionable for Week 6 vs. the Colts with his hamstring still giving him grief.
Kylen Granson, TE, Philadelphia Eagles
Unfortunately, it was another goose egg for Granson this week. Though if there was anything to be seen this week from him, it is that his blocking skills may outweigh his Pony counterpart on the Eagles whoo has been getting more looks as of late.
Charles Woods, CB, New England Patriots
After a friendly fire incident last week, Woods is now healthy but did not see any production in Week 6.
Zach Wood, LS, New Orleans Saints
Week 4 and Wood is still snapper No. 1 and there’s not much else to report here.
Sure, long snapper isn’t exactly a position to watch out for in fantasy means, but in terms of Mustangs in the bigs, Wood joins this list as the third longest Pony in the league behind Beachum with nine seasons. Check out his extensive history with the Saints and why he’s a team captain for the Saints here.
Thomas Morstead, P, San Francisco 49ers
Morstead’s production was on high courtesy of a 26-23 OT win over the Rams. He kicked off Week 5 with 4 punts for an average of 42 yards, with his highest being 50 yards for a total of 168 yards.
Again… Punter, but hey — Not only is Morstead the most seasoned veteran on this list, entering his 16th season, he is reaching several career milestones due to his NFL longevity that most players never see. The punter is one of the oldest active players and will likely become the 10th punter to play in his 40s.
Practice Squad SMU players in the NFL:
Jared Harrison-Hunte, DE, Carolina Panthers
The defensive end didn’t make the first round of roster cuts, but joined the Panthers roster just in time for the regular season. Still, Harrison-Hunte is on the practice squad for the Panthers currently.
Jahfari Harvey, LDE, Las Vegas Raiders
Harvey also falls from the regular roster for the Raiders and is on the practice squad.
James Proche II, WR, Tennessee Titans
The Titans WR also has fallen to the practice squad. Proche II rounds out our list of Mustangs active in the NFL currently.
Here’s some guys you may have been looking for on this list that were dropped on waivers or cut…
Waived/Dropped SMU Players in the NFL
- Anthony Booker Jr (aka Tank Booker), DT, Las Vegas Raiders
- Brandon Crossley, CB, New England Patriots
- Roderick Daniels, WR, New Orleans Saints
- Moochie Dixon, WR, New Orleans Saints
- Danny Gray, WR, San Francisco 49ers
- Justin Osborne, OC, Cleveland Browns
- Key’Shawn Smith, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
