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WR Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions

HT: 6-5, WT: 235, Born: 9-25-1985, College: Georgia Tech, Drafted: Round 1, Pick 2

2008 Projections

2007 Game Summaries

Week 1 - The much anticipated debut of the top specialty player drafted in the 2007 draft did not make the fans wait long, posting a 16 yard touchdown reception early in the second half. His 70 yards receiving was good for second highest total on the team and is a glimpse of his potential to come. While officially not a starter, he was on the field often and could be considered a starter when taking into account the Lions' number of plays in a three wide receiver set.

Week 2 - Assuming he is able to remain healthy, there is very little reason to think Calvin Johnson won't make a huge impact during his first season in the league. His targets steadily increased throughout the game after a very quiet beginning, but there were no shots of him pouting or giving up on plays. He simply kept working, getting open, and eventually making some plays. There was a designed play for him in the end zone on a corner fade that was knocked away at the last moment, and he eventually did score on a similar fade pass to the front corner. He may have gotten away with a push-off on his touchdown reception, but either way it appeared like he was toying with the defender. QB J.T. O'Sullivan simply dropped back and lobbed up a jump ball, which Johnson easily came down with for his second career NFL touchdown. He was also targeted on several different kinds of passes, meaning he wasn't simply used as a deep threat exclusively or a red zone target exclusively. He is as involved as anyone else out there for Detroit, and his skill set is becoming more and more evident with each game. And if nothing else, it would appear that at the very least, he is going to play a very significant role in the red zone and near the goal line.

Week 3 - Johnson caught his first pass half way through the second quarter on short pass that he took for 19 yards and a first down. He made a great catch going up between two defenders and hauling down a 39 yard catch in the second quarter. He showed exceptional athleticism and concentration on going up to get the ball, but unfortunately he got hurt on the play on what was reported a lower back injury. He did not return to the game and finished with two receptions for 58 yards.

Week 4 - Johnson was inactive for this game with a back injury.

Week 5 - Returning from injury, Calvin Johnson had one short catch for three yards. Johnson seemed to run smoothly and showed no ill effects of his previous back injury.

Week 7 - Johnson showed terrific hands in reaching low for his first reception of the game, a 19 yard pickup. His second catch of the afternoon was even more impressive, as it featured a similar route but with a dive at the end for the highlight reels. But his biggest highlight came on a reverse run. After a shifty move to get away from one would-be tackler, he employed a dynamite stiff-arm to get rid of Cato June. As he scampered up the right sideline, he quickly cut back to the middle of the field to avoid yet another tackler. And finally, he shook off Barrett Ruud at the five yard line before spinning his way into the end zone for the 32 yard score. We have heard all week that Detroit wants to get Johnson more involved in the offense. He had just three total touches in this game, but after such an impressive display of his talents, that number may increase significantly in the coming weeks.

Week 8 - Johnson's first catch came on a 21 yard pick up over the middle of the field for a first down late in the second quarter. He came back a couple of plays later and caught a 23 yard pass. He finished the first half with two catches for 44 yards. Johnson almost had a touchdown early in the third quarter when he made a nice diving catch in the corner of the end zone, but he was clearly out of bounds. Johnson would not have a catch in the second half.

Week 9 - Johnson caught three passes in the game. He'd been limited with a back issue earlier in the week and seemed to be the third option after Williams and McDonald.

Week 10 - Johnson finished the game with three receptions for 37 yards mainly on deep out routes. In the first quarter, he did have a potential touchdown taken away by a good defensive play by the Cardinals secondary. Two plays later, running back Kevin Jones scored on a four yard run.

Week 11 - Johnson only saw three targets but made the most of them, as he was able to bring in all three for 45 yards and a touchdown. His touchdown grab, which was the Lions only one of the game, came in the second half, as Johnson used his leaping ability to haul in the 35 yard deep ball from Jon Kitna.

Week 12 - It was clear early on that the Lions were going to make a concerted effort to get Calvin Johnson involved in the game. However, the vast majority of passes that went his way had a negative outcome for Detroit (at least in the first half). Of Johnson's eight first half targets, two resulted in dropped passes and one resulted in an interception -- the interception was partly Johnson's fault as well for failing to come back to the football properly. The drops, one of which would have easily gone for 20+ yards, were easy catches that just about every receiver in the league should make. But the Lions continued feeding him after halftime, and he responded with a much improved showing. He snared a six yard touchdown grab between two defenders in traffic, and later caught two passes downfield that both resulted in big hits on him. Each time he got to his feet a bit gingerly, as the hits were right on his back, which has bothered him for much of the season. But he remained in the game after each one without grimacing or limping or giving any indication of a re-aggravation of an injury. At times, the Lions appear to use him almost like the Patriots use Randy Moss or the Cowboys use Terrell Owens. Sometimes Jon Kitna will simply toss up jump balls downfield for Johnson and the defensive back to go after. It didn't really work in this game, as Kitna was nearly intercepted twice because of that, but it shows the confidence they have in Johnson to come down with the football more often than not.

Week 13 - Johnson had a quiet day, receiving just three targets, and catching just one. His first look was a desperation heave from Kitna, throwing the ball as he was hit. Johnson came back for the ball, but it was thrown well short. His next target was on a quick slant, and Johnson was wide open. The ball hit him in the hands, and it was a simple mental lapse as he dropped the ball. Kitna came back to him on the very next play, with the Lions going for it on fourth down. Johnson ran another slant and held on to the ball for 17 yards.

Week 14 - Johnson showed that he has the potential to be a star player in the league. He knows how to use his hands and his body to make the tough catches and has shown that he can be a reliable target. With Johnson able to make plays the other receivers began to see more passes thrown their way as the Cowboy backs were forced to rotate coverage his way. Johnson did have a potential touchdown catch bounce off his hands when Kitna threw the ball high into double coverage in the end zone. Johnson used his height and leaping ability to get both hands on the ball but was unable to bring it down in the sea of hands that were two defenders.

Week 15 - While many expected Johnson to come into the league and simply dominate from the outset, that obviously has not been the case. And despite the 102 yards he put up in this game, this was yet another example of his wild inconsistency. He dropped each of the first two passes he saw, including one crucial one on a third down slant. But he alternated plays like those with plays like his diving catch where he all but picked the ball off the turf. He also hauled in a 49 yard bomb to end the first half on a Hail Mary pass play, but he was taken down just shy at the one yard line. It was an impressive display of strength to hold his ground and catch the ball in traffic, but he was unable to get the rest of the way in. With Roy Williams out for the remainder of the season, the next few weeks are a great opportunity for Johnson to finish strongly in preparation for 2008.

Week 16 - Johnson pulled in two of the passes sent his way for 47 yards. He saw a couple passes sail away off target. In what could be considered a battle between two of the top rookie wide receivers, Johnson clearly is currently behind the Chiefs' Dwayne Bowe.

Week 17 - Despite being targeted a team high 12 times, Johnson was only able to haul in four passes. He dropped his first target of the game on a short, third down pass that would have given Detroit a first down, and his second target was picked off by S Atari Bigby. Johnson's first grab came with just over 12 minutes left in the second quarter and went for a gain of five yards. His next catch came on a third and six play with the Lions operating from their own ten yard line. On the play, Johnson made a nice leaping catch on an under thrown ball that went for a gain of 32 yards. His only other long catch came in the third quarter and went for a gain of 18 yards on a third and 18 play. The rookie wide out was targeted numerous times in the end zone on deep passes, but all of those throws fell incomplete.