Great as he is, there were times in college when Calvin Johnson had trouble getting the ball.
In a ballyhooed ACC showdown against Clemson last year, Johnson had zero catches for Georgia Tech in a 31-7 loss. In another, low-scoring loss to rival Georgia, the star receiver had only two catches for 13 yards.
Now that he has turned pro, Johnson will soon find lucrative solace in knowing nearly every NFL first-round draft play runs through him. Make no mistake, should the Oakland Raiders as expected take quarterback JaMarcus Russell with the No. 1 pick Saturday, Johnson becomes the primary target of the draft.
“When you’re picking as high as where Calvin is going to go, those are areas where everyone understands you can’t make a mistake,” said Jeffrey Foster, president of the NFL scouting service that feeds reports to nearly every team. “This is a guy who, let’s say he turns out to be a mistake, you could go back and study every reason why you made that decision, and never second-guess yourself.”
Nearly every team except those with the first three picks seems to want the receiver who is considered a once-in-a-decade talent. The Raiders, who have the first pick, already have three proven receivers but no quarterback to get them the ball.
All indications are Raiders owner Al Davis will pick Russell, the powerful-bodied, bazooka-armed quarterback from LSU.
The Detroit Lions, who have the second pick, wouldn’t dare take Johnson because of their embarrassing first-round selections in recent years of receivers Charles Rogers and Michael Williams. Providing the Raiders take Russell, the Lions’ plan is to set up a 15-minute lottery with their second pick.
The team with the best trade offer gets Johnson. By the time the Lions are placed on the clock, they expect to receive phone calls from Tampa Bay, which has the No. 4 choice, Washington (No. 6) and Atlanta (No. 8).
Only if none of those teams satisfies the Lions’ needs is Detroit boss Matt Millen expected to place a phone call to Dove Valley and ask to speak to coach Mike Shanahan.
The Broncos already have made two trade proposals for Detroit’s No. 2 pick, but were rebuffed each time. Why? Because those Broncos offers began with their No. 21 overall draft choice and the Lions want to begin their picking somewhere inside the top 10. If the Broncos were to swap with Houston for the No. 10 pick, perhaps from there they could revisit Johnson.
Wherever he lands, the draft won’t truly begin to fall into place until he does.
“Uniquely he does affect the draft in that two of the other top players are quarterbacks and the other top players are defensive players,” Foster said. “So teams that aren’t looking for a quarterback will be zeroing in on him so he can affect a number of spots. You’ll see trades contingent on that player still being there.”
After Russell, Notre Dame’s Brady Quinn is considered the other “franchise” quarterback in this draft. The Cleveland Browns, who pick third, are expecting Johnson to be dealt by the time their 15-minute clock starts. After taking receiver Braylon Edwards with the No. 3 pick two years ago, all indications are the Browns will nab Quinn or running back Adrian Peterson.
Why does this draft run through Johnson? He is believed to be the only receiver ever who is 6-feet-5 and 239 pounds, runs 40 yards in 4.35 seconds and has a 43-inch vertical jump. He also overcame the wild inconsistencies of Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball to score 15 touchdowns on 76 catches in his junior season.
OK, so Google those dimensions and feats and the name Randy Moss, circa 1998, might pop up. But only if you omit the weight.
“I still think in comparing the two, Randy Moss – and people may not like Moss because of the baggage – but coming out, Randy Moss was two steps and top speed,” said Jamie Dukes, a former guard who now serves as an NFL draft analyst. “I don’t see that in Calvin. I think Calvin is a phenomenal receiver, but Randy Moss was at top speed in two steps.”
But Moss did come with serious character baggage – some of which he continues to carry today – and wasn’t drafted until the No. 21 overall pick. Johnson is considered such a spotless character, even his admission at the NFL scouting combine he once smoked marijuana was added to his long list of endearing qualities.
“A very positive thing – being honest – became a point of criticism in the public,” Foster said. “But the people who have really done their homework know it’s a nonissue with him. I liked the one statement I read where one NFL executive said about that story, ‘Good, because I was beginning to think he was perfect.”‘
Put Johnson with an NFL quarterback presumably more accurate than Ball and there figures to be nothing preventing him from becoming an impact receiver – and not just in time, but during his rookie season.
“He reminds me of Randy Moss and myself,” said Keyshawn Johnson, the only receiver in the past 22 years who was taken with the No. 1 pick. “He’s big and fast like Randy Moss; he’s big and aggressive like me.”
Almost every NFL coach and executive considers Calvin Johnson the Reggie Bush of this year’s draft. But because the Raiders have been so quarterback-poor in recent years, and passed on Ben Roethlisberger, Jason Campbell, Matt Leinart and Jay Cutler in recent drafts, they probably cannot afford to pick anyone but Russell with the No. 1 pick.
That puts Johnson up for bid – and the NFL draft on hold until he’s secured.
Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
