Detroit Lions: 5 best NFL Draft picks of all time
2007-15. Calvin Johnson. 2. player. 50. . WR
Calvin Johnson was just an athletic freak coming out of Georgia Tech in the 2007 NFL Draft and the Detroit Lions absolutely needed to jump on him if their offense was ever going to improve — and improve it did.
Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 240 pounds, Johnson was built more like a freakishly tall linebacker and player just as physical. The NFL might never see another player like Megatron and it’s because he played like such a monster, bullying cornerbacks and safeties, but he was also fast and could leap out of the building.
No defensive back in the league wanted to guard him and every other receiver wanted to be him, but like another Lions legend that might be next on the list, he retired just too early — although nagging injuries had a lot to do with it.
Johnson was selected No. 2 overall in the 2007 NFL Draft and really got off to a hot start in his first year in the league, catching 48 passes for 756 yards and four touchdowns. His career would only take off from there as he leads Lions history in basically every receiving category.
Heck, he even broke the NFL record for receiving yards in a season in 2012 when he had 122 catches for 1,964 yards and five scores.
Calvin’s career ended abruptly in 2015 when he announced he’d be retiring at the age of 30, in his prime. He finished his Lions career with 731 catches for 11,619 yards and 83 touchdowns, going down as one of the greatest receivers in NFL history.
Next: 1. Barry Sanders