Hundreds of aspiring young athletes flocked to Englewood High School to participate in Courtland Sutton’s inaugural football camp. Starstruck eyes followed the Denver Broncos wide receiver around the field over the weekend.

“Don’t be afraid to come up and talk to me, ask me questions,” the Broncos fifth-year receiver said during the opening moments of his camp. “I’m here to enjoy the camp just as much as you guys.”

Sutton’s infectious energy captured the young minds and attention of those in attendance.

As he made his way around the field, playing quarterback, defensive back, or demonstrating receiver drills, his hands-on approach showcased how much he values the opportunity to give back to the next generation of football players.

Aside from Sutton’s presence at the camp, former Broncos fan-favorite receiver Brandon Lloyd showed up to support and lend a helping hand.

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In between rotating stations with camp participants, Sutton came over and spoke with Mile High Sports for an exclusive 1-on-1 interview.

When he was younger, he recalled the impact youth camps had on him growing up.

“I think the biggest thing is the memory,” Sutton said. “This is something that I know myself, being able to go to a camp like this, it’s something that you remember. Coming here with your buddies in the summertime, enjoying and being able to play some ball, being around good people, it’s a memory that will last.”

Sutton doesn’t take his position as a leader in the community for granted. Seeing the excitement in the eyes of the young camp participants, the value of positively impacting the life of somebody else is something he believes you can’t put a price on.

“If you could sit there and make a kid’s day by just playing catch with them, it’s huge,” Sutton reflected during his camp. “I know for myself that was huge having anybody that was at any level higher than where I was coming out, all you want to do is sit and listen, catch passes from them, see if you could race them. Just trying to make sure the kids enjoy themselves while they’re out here and have as much fun as they can.”

As the Broncos prepare to report for training camp on July 27, Sutton plans to continue to put work in during the team’s brief period off from team scheduled activities. After wrapping up mandatory minicamp, the star receiver plans to get together with his teammates as the offense continues to ramp things up ahead of the season.

“Minicamp and OTAs were really good,” Sutton said. “It’s huge to make sure we don’t have a dropoff rolling into training camp.”

For the veteran leader and a variety of his teammates, that means that they’ll reconnect with new Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson for a second session at Wilson’s compound in San Diego, California.

Since the Broncos traded for Wilson in March, Sutton and his teammates have spent extra time working with him to get on the same page with a brand new offensive scheme with the mindset that they can get off to a hot start come the regular season.

“That first opportunity of getting to see how he operates was amazing,” Sutton reflected on the team’s first trip to San Diego. “[Russ} is a scholar of the game, he really makes sure he understands everything he possibly can, but he’s also huge on the things that people might not talk about as much. Making sure he’s taking care of his body, getting enough sleep so that his body can recover.”

As he enters his fifth year in Denver, seeing how Wilson does the extra things is something that has trickled down to other players in the locker room. Wilson’s presence is the tide that raises all ships, and Sutton is excited for the opportunity to be one of his top receiving options in 2022.

Recently, Sutton graced the cover of Mile High Sports Magazine’s June issue, sharing his passion off the field about golfing. We asked Courtland about which Broncos teammate he would choose to pair up with if he was invited to “The Match” and who he’d choose to face.

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“I think I’d probably pick [Broncos kicker] Brandon McManus,” Sutton said on Saturday. “Great golfer, great friend and I think he and I would work well together. The two people we would go against? He’d probably pick another kicker. I’d love to play against Larry Fitzgerald. I heard he’s a really good golfer. It would be a lot of me picking his brain more than us playing golf. If I could play against Larry, that would be fun.”

The expectations for the Broncos are high entering the season, but Courtland’s calm demeanor and constant will to find opportunities to get better will hopefully help the team take the necessary strides here in 2022.