In 2007 the Oakland Raiders came into the National Football League Draft owning the first overall pick. Former Raiders owner Al Davis pondered between selecting LSU quarterback JaMarcus Russell or Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson with the first pick. Eventually Davis decided on picking Russell. Before NFL commissioner Roger Goodell could finish his mandatory photos with Russell as the league’s top pick at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the Detroit Lions jumped at the chance to select Johnson. At 6’5″, 239 lbs., Johnson ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at his pro day at Georgia Tech as teams were drooling over his ability. The Lions had a history of rolling snake eyes on selecting wide receivers early in the draft as Charles Rogers, Roy Williams, and Mike Williams all fizzled out in Motown, but Johnson is a different breed of athlete. Instead of Johnson living up to the expectations that were thrust on him as he entered the NFL, he is setting a new standard of excellence.
In Johnson’s first three years in the NFL he was becoming a good receiver as he led the NFL in receiving touchdowns for the 2008 season with 12. Most people typically would mention Johnson in the same breath with wide receivers Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals for the unofficial title of being the best wide receiver in the NFL, but lately Calvin Johnson has been on another planet.
In 2011, Johnson led the NFL in receiving yards with 1,681 as he helped the Lions reach the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Last season saw Johnson flirt with becoming the first wide receiver in NFL history to record 2,000 receiving yards, but he still established a single-season NFL record with 1,964 receiving yards.
This season through 10 games Johnson leads the NFL with 1,083 receiving yards on just 59 receptions. This season Johnson has had five games in which he recorded at least 100 receiving yards, but he saved his best effort for Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys as he flirted with a single-game NFL record. Johnson had 14 receptions for 329 yards and a touchdown as the Lions knocked off the Cowboys 31-30. Johnson has done most of this damage against double and triple coverage which makes even more amazing. When Johnson goes up for a jump ball against defensive backs he is a man among boys which is why he has been dubbed as “Megatron”.
In 1998 the Minnesota Vikings used their first round pick on Marshall University wide receiver Randy Moss. Moss was expected to be a top five selection, but questions about his character saw him fall to the Vikings at the 21st overall slot. Moss was determined to make all of the teams that passed on him in the draft pay as he had 17 receiving touchdowns as a rookie which helped the Vikings set a then NFL record with 556 points in a season. In 2007 as a member of the New England Patriots, Moss helped the Pats establish a single-season NFL record with 589 points. Moss would also go on to set the single-season NFL record for receiving touchdowns with 23.
When Moss came onto the NFL scene he was immediately compared to Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice who is still the gold standard for receivers. Both Johnson and Moss have been compared to Rice, but when it is all said and done Megatron in the man that is closer to Rice. Moss always had the ability, but he wasn’t a full effort player on each play while Johnson has the ability and he is making it happen.
Along with Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, Johnson is re-writing the team’s offensive record books. This past Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Stafford passed Bobby Layne to become the Lions all-time leader for passing yards. Johnson only needs 256 receiving yards to move past Herman Moore as the Lions all-time leader for receiving yards. Johnson is 28-years old and in his six-plus seasons in the NFL his 8,919 receiving yards are 58th in league history. After this Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Johnson could be in the top 50 for all-time receiving yards.
Johnson is still nearly 14,000 yards away from reaching Rice for the all-time receiving yard in the NFL, but they both have reputations of perfecting the craft of being an elite receiver. What made Rice go was when people compared him to other wide receivers during his era such as Andre Reed and Michael Irvin as he always strived to show that he was the best. Johnson was previously compared to receivers such as Fitzgerald, but he is setting another standard for the position. What makes Johnson so special is that he doesn’t garner for the spotlight as other wide receivers may do. Johnson doesn’t talk smack during a game and he is admired and respected by his opponents. Johnson has also taken a page from international soccer as it is customary for him to exchange his game jersey with opponents following a game.
To play wide receiver in the NFL is far from being easy, but Johnson has made it a habit to make the impossible look extremely possible.
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