It's that time of the year again. Mile High Report begins our annual 90 players in 90 days roster breakdown. Last year went fairly well, but starting today and through August 27th, we'll break down every player on the Denver Broncos roster.
Name: Sadat Sulleyman
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6'2" Weight: 250
Age: 22 Experience: R
College: Portland State
The 2016 NFL Draft came and went for Sadat Sulleyman, a hybrid defensive lineman and linebacker out of Portland State. He didn't get drafted like former-Broncos and former-Portland State alum, Julius Thomas, but he is getting his shot to play in the NFL.
He has a good chance of making the practice squad as the Denver Broncos tend to stack that position with young players.
If he is going to stick with the team, he'll need to have had an impressive OTA run and really stand out during Training Camp next month. The road to the NFL as an undrafted college free agent is a difficult one, but the Broncos have shown they are adept at finding those diamonds in the rough.
The good:
Sulleyman is a hardworking kind of guy who is also a student of the game. NFL Draft Diamonds held a Q&A with him prior to the draft and a few things really stood out to me relating to the mentality he'll bring to his game that really make me feel like he could stick around come cut-day.
When you are breaking down film, what do you look for?
When breaking down film I look at the teams run and pass ratio. Then i break down their 3rd down tendencies if its a higher percentage of pass or run. Then last I study their pass protection schemes and their favorite formations to anticipate the next play.
If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be and why?
I would compare my game to Elvis Dumervil because we have sort of the same frame and size and I like the way he uses he hands for being undersized.
Do you have any pre-game rituals?
My program rituals are to read the Quran and look at my Father’s picture who just passed away and ask for his guidance.
The first question covered how he focuses on anticipation, which is an integral part of the Wade Phillips' defense. I like that he's been doing this since college. The second question was because "Hey, Broncos!". And the third really made me feel like this guy has tremendous focus. That's a quality absolutely necessary in the NFL.
The bad:
He has never played any inside linebacker and has always worked with his hands in the dirt. With a team like the Broncos, who have four outside rushers that could start on any team in this league it makes him rather expendable when the team must cut down from 90 to 53. He will really need to stand out all through training camp.
Quotable:
Sulleyman had a reckless early youth that nearly ended in a life taken too young, but a change in scenery and a renewed focus on his life is quite a remarkable story.
"He's transformed," Nigel Burton, Sulleyman's coach at Portland State, said. "He's nothing like what he was. He is why I do what I do. That kid is why I coach."
Roster Status:
As I noted earlier, Sulleyman will have to stand out in a big way through Training Camp. He's already made some impressions during OTA's, ending the final practice session of OTA's by rushing a second-down pass that ultimately ended in a failed fourth-down conversion. It's continued play like that when the pads are on that will lead Sulleyman to a final 53-man roster spot.