Published: Wednesday, Nov. 25, 2009 / Updated: Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009 07:24 PM

Finally, Panther's Sutton is fitting in

Work ethic, intelligence has paid dividends

CHARLOTTE -- The Carolina Panthers thought there was something they liked about Tyrell Sutton when they claimed him off waivers in September.

It's just taken until now to figure out what exactly it was.

Sutton has emerged as this year's scrap-heap find and could pay valuable dividends down the road. The undrafted rookie from Northwestern was snapped up when cut by Green Bay after an impressive training camp, and with each passing week, does more and more to catch the eye of his teammates and coaches.

Steve Smith, no less an authority on out-of-nowhere success, compared him to New England's do-everything running back Kevin Faulk, the guy who runs, blocks, catches, returns kicks and is often Tom Brady's target on key fourth-down plays.

“A lot of the good things he's done, he's able to get opportunities for himself,” Smith said. “He's made a role for himself we might not have known we had. Now he's a guy we have to keep on the field, have to keep him dressed because of the versatile role he can play.”

Nobody saw that coming, not even Sutton, who had a good training camp but then came to Charlotte and watched the first seven weeks as part of the team's game-day inactive list.

There were indications of his talent before, but he always seemed to not quite fit.

He left Northwestern second on the school's all-time, all-purpose yardage list (5,138). He led them in rushing all four seasons but didn't tantalize pro scouts because of his lack of prototype size or speed (he ran a 4.75 second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine).

“It's all they really look at in the combine is what can they do in a setting that's supposed to be a football atmosphere but has nothing to do with being the type of ballplayer that I am,” Sutton said.

Yet, he's in Charlotte, and impressing.

The first crack in the door came against New Orleans, when he became the world's smallest fullback.

Listed at 5-foot-8, 213 pounds, Sutton hardly fit the physical description of the position but played the game passably well.

“I thought it was a joke,” Sutton said. “My initial reaction was, ‘Why not put Stew (running back Jonathan Stewart) back there?' He's the one who actually has the weight size of a fullback.”

But it was more a testament to Sutton's quick uptake than his sheer physical force, because there were a few moments when he was thrown aside by Saints linebackers. But coaches were impressed with his ability to grasp the offensive concept, and that's what made them go his direction when they had no other healthy options.

Running backs coach Jim Skipper gives all his players a test each Friday night on the game plan for that week to check their preparedness, and he's been impressed with Sutton's early grasp of what's being asked.

“A guy won't have a good understanding of it until he gets into that position and hones in,” Skipper said. “It helps to be sharp mentally. That's where Sutton came in, he really caught on to our system pretty quick. He was very willing to do that. The thing with him, it's his very first game period, and he's playing a different position.

“Hey, he didn't flinch. He jumped right in stride; that's a feather in his cap.”

Smith was even more enthusiastic. He's hesitant to praise any young players until they've shown something, but he heaped plenty of praise on Sutton.

“He's a young, hungry player,” Smith said. “I know being a running back, he's thinking ‘A fullback, that's not me.' But he did it exceptionally. Well, probably better than he could have expected.”

Sutton's ability to adapt has expanded his role weekly. He's leap-frogged fourth-round pick Mike Goodson — a guy with more speed, more explosiveness but less of a handle of the game — and has even taken away some snaps from the high-profile backs.

In their late-game drives against Miami, Sutton was on the field because he presents the kind of versatility as blocker, pass-catcher and runner needed when things get frantic.