By Mark Ambrogi
Brian Sutton wants to give himself the best shot to make the NFL. So the former Fishers High School and Bowling Green defensive back took part in a six-week St.Vincent Sports Performance program to gear up for his NFL pro day with other Bowling Green on March 16.
“I want to take full advantage of my opportunity and go in there 100 percent,” Sutton said. “I want to be able to say I gave it my all.”
Fourteen other prospects from all over the nation chose to take part in the St.Vincent program.
Sutton is taking online classes from Bowling Green while hoping to be selected in the NFL Draft on April 30 through May 2 or signed as a free agent. After the spring, he’ll need one more semester to complete a degree in accounting and finance.
“This is top tier,” Sutton said at the Sports Performance facility, 8227 Northwest Blvd, Suite 160, in Indianapolis. “I’m fortunate to train with all these great athletes coming from different areas of the country. You meet new people and create new friendships. We all bring it every day and it’s giving us great competition.”
The program was designed to end right before the NFL Scouting Combine, which begins Feb. 17 in Indianapolis. For the players in the program not invited to the combine, like Sutton, St. Vincent set up a program to continue their training right up to their pro day.
Greg Moore, a certified strength and conditioning coach, was part of the St. Vincent Sports Performance NFL training staff. Moore said the focus is the tests in the combine: bench press, three cone drill, 40-yard dash, shuttle run, vertical jump and broad jump.
“We basically feel like we give them the answers to the test, they got to actually study for the test,” Moore said. Moore said Sutton is blessed with natural athleticism.
“We find with many of our athletes coming up, we find that have a long, hard football season that takes a toll on their body, we have to get them healthy,” Moore said. “We have to wake up their nervous system a little bit and get that fire back in their body.”
The 6-foot, 202-pound Sutton, who played for Fishers’ 2010 Class 5A state championship team, started four games as a rover (safety/outside linebacker) as junior at Bowling Green and 14 games at strong safety as a senior.
Working on his speed has been Sutton’s main focus. Sutton runs the 40 in 4.5 seconds.
“We have a great speed coordinator in Greg,” Sutton said. “He’s working on my technique. Coach Brandon Johnson, who played defensive tackle at Purdue, is our strength coordinator.”
Lindsay Langford, a nutritionist, is the third member of training team. Sutton said she create proper meal plans for the conditioning.
Former Indianapolis Colts defensive back Marlin Jackson also worked with Sutton three times a week during football drills. Jackson also leads mentorship session which focuses on issues such as financial planning, selecting an agent and character.
“They’re preparing you for all different angles so that’s why this program is so great,” Sutton said.
