About Calvin Johnson
Calvin Johnson Jr., was born on September 29, 1985 and is a former American football wide receiver who played with an estimated net worth of $50 million. Johnson played in the National Football League for nine seasons with the Detroit Lions. He played college football at Georgia Tech, where he was a two-time All-American, and was selected by the Lions second overall in the 2007 NFL Draft.
Unlike many famously skilled athletes, Johnson was not an all-around sports star, and he did not play a variety of positions.
He was a born wideout: Johnson pretty much began his football life as a wide receiver, and has developed those skills to near-perfection over the years.
Unusually tall for his age, Johnson started at wide receiver three straight years at Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone, Ga.
Johnson was a hot commodity as a prep star, and heavily recruited. He eventually decided to stay in his home state and opted for Georgia Tech.
The Basics
- Name: Calvin Johnson
- College: Georgia Tech
- Born: 9-28-85
- Birthplace: Newnan, Georgia
- NFL Number: 81
- NFL position: Wide receiver
- Height: 6-foot-5
- Weight: 236 pounds
- 40-yard-dash: 4.35
- NFL Draft: First round, second pick, 2007
- Salary: $1.25 million
- NFL Status: Starting wide receiver, Detroit Lions
- Nickname: “Megatron”
College:
His career with the Yellow Jackets puts him in high clover, and many consider him to be one of the best players ever to attend the Atlanta institution.
As a freshman, Johnson was Tech’s leading receiver and an All-Atlantic Coast Conference pick. He only got better from there.
He was a first-team All-American as a sophomore and as a junior, he won the Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in the country and was named the ACC player of the year. He was also again a consensus All-American.
Positives:
Johnson is simply an incredible prospect at the wide receiver position. He’s Larry Fitzgerald, only faster and, if you can believe it, better in all fields. Has the rare ability among WRs to make an entire offense better,
a skill usually only seen in QBs and some RBs. Johnson possessesses the softest hands I have ever seen on a big, fast receiver. And oh my is he fast and big. He will dominate many corners in the NFL with his size alone, and his speed and incredible vertical leap (rumored to be north of 47) will only make life harder for them.
Negatives:
Not many. His downfield blocking leaves something to be desired, but so does the downfield blocking of most receivers. Sometimes loses his concentration, but that rarely happens outside of his team having a big lead.
Overview:
Johnson could possibly be the single-best prospect in several years, not just as at WR but among all draft prospects period. Yes, better than Reggie Bush. Yes, better than Vince Young. Johnson has a very realistic shot at being taken #1 overall, and it will be simply shocking if he slips out of the top three.
NFL:
The Oakland Raiders had the first pick in 2007 and opted for JaMarcus Rusell, who has become legendary for one of the biggest flops in NFL history.
There were strong rumors the Detroit Lions, who had the second pick, would pick Johnson only to trade him. Only the first part was true.
Detroit held on to its super-talent and he has returned the love in spades.
Johnson is clearly at the top of the NFL wide receiver class, a big and fast athlete with hands like vacuum cleaners, sucking in every pass thrown in his vicinity.
Not only is he a lot bigger than NFL defensive backs, he is also faster than most and can jump higher.
He is the prototype of the modern NFL receiver. In some games, he appears un-coverable.
“He’s just so big, fast agile, and he’s very quick,” Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “To be that big and move that well is unbelievable.”
By the Numbers
Since 2007, Johnson has caught 572 passes for 9,328 yards and 66 touchdowns.
He is already, in his prime, in the top 50 in career receiving yards, ahead of such luminaries as Raymond Berry, Fred Biletnikoff, Wes Chandler, Nat Moore and John Stallworth, just to name a few.
Career Highlight
In 2012, Johnson flirted with becoming the only NFL receiver in history to break the 2,000-yard mark in receiving. He finished the season with 1,964 yards.
Outlook
Johnson had a great season last year even though he was hampered by injuries to his knee and fingers.
He underwent surgery in the offseason and claims to be 100 percent healthy. He shook off some rust in the Lions’ mini-camp and appeared to be what he is: the best receiver in pro football.
The Lions have a new coach in Jim Caldwell, who worked with Peyton Manning.
They also added wide receiver Golden Tate, who they got from Seattle, and picked up talented tight end Eric Ebron in the draft.
Those two in particular should drastically cut down the double- and even triple-teams Johnson typically sees from defenses.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford, already a prolific passer, has been working on improving his footwork and mechanics, so there is no reason to doubt that, barring injury, Megatron could have another mega-season.
He is noted for his size (6 ft 5 in and 239 lbs), combined with catching ability, speed (40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds), strength, leaping ability, and body control which is a very rare package. As of 2023, Calvin Johnson’s net worth is estimated to be $50 million. Johnson was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2021.
