In recent years, it’s been something of a running joke among football fans that there are three things in life that you can count on: Death, Taxes and the Detroit Lions selecting a wide receiver in the first round of every draft...
 

While obviously an exaggeration, there is some basis in truth to it as, since 2003, the Lions have drafted four wide receivers with their first pick.  If things had worked out as they might have predicted, they could have had the most dominant receiving corps in the NFL at this point.  However, Charles Rogers and Mike Williams were celebrated busts and, while the jury is still out on Roy Williams, it’s somewhat irrelevant how he performs since Detroit traded him last season to Dallas.   For the Lions, the old adage “third time’s the charm” definitely didn’t turn out to be true.
 

However, the fourth time was.  April 28, 2007 will go down in team lore as one of the greatest days in franchise history as that was the day that Calvin Johnson became a Lion.
 

“Megatron”, as he has come to be known (named after the powerful Transformers character), was touted by many as the best pure athlete available in the Draft that year.  He put his physical abilities on display at a pre-draft workout at the Combine, recording a 4.35 second 40-yard dash (remarkable considering he weighs 239 lbs.), an 11'7 standing broad jump and a vertical leap of 43 inches.
 

Even with other-worldly physical gifts, Johnson struggled at times during his rookie year.  In addition to learning the pro game, he also dealt with a nagging back injury that hampered his performance.  Still, he hinted at his massive potential by posting six games with at least four receptions, recording an impressive 15.8 YPC average and scoring four touchdowns.
 

The “breakout” year for many wide receivers is often their 3rd/4th one in the league.  However, Johnson didn’t need to wait that long as he established himself as arguably one of the top five receivers in the game last season.  Despite the fact that he had five different quarterbacks throwing him the ball and very little support other than running back Kevin Smith around him, he caught 78 passes for 1,331 yards and 12 touchdowns. 
 

So what does this season hold in store for “Megatron”?
 

Opposing defensive backs...be afraid.  Be VERY afraid.
 

Granted, the situation around Johnson is not going to be very different.  While Daunte Culpepper might start the season at quarterback, Detroit isn’t paying Matthew Stafford the GNP of Bolivia to sit on the sidelines for too long.  Like all rookie quarterbacks, he’ll likely be overwhelmed sometimes, a situation that could affect the number of passes that goes Johnson’s way.  The rest of the offense, though slightly improved, still has a long way to go.
 

However, as Johnson proved last year during the worst of times, he simply cannot be contained on a regular basis.  Consider the evidence: He eclipsed the 100 yards receiving mark during five games last year.  He was held under the 40 yard mark just twice.  He recorded five or more catches in a game on seven occasions.  He did all this while being the top priority for defenses to stop.  No other receiver in the league accomplished as much with as little help.
 

Here’s the best part, folks: As he continues to learn how to harness his body to make even tougher catches and learns how to exploit coverages on a more frequent basis, he’s only going to get better.
 

You’ll have to draft Johnson in the second round most likely as he should be one of the first receivers taken.

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