Player Spotlight: Calvin Johnson (1 Viewer)

[Jason Wood]

2007 Player Spotlight Series

Over the course of the offseason, we will be evaluating a multitude of players at every fantasy position. One such way we go about that is through the Player Spotlight series. Think of the Spotlights as a permanent record on some of the more intriguing players for the upcoming season. Each Spotlight will be featured in an article on the main website.

Thread Topic: Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions

Player Page Link: Calvin Johnson Player Page

Each article will include:

Detailed viewpoint from a Footballguys staff member
Highlighted member commentary from the message board threads
FBG Projections
Consensus Member ProjectionsThe Rules

In order for this thread to provide sustainable value, we ask that you follow a few simple guidelines:

Focus commentary on the player in question, and your expectations for said player
Back up your expectations in whatever manner you deem appropriate; avoid posts that simply say "I hate him" or "He's the best"
To be included in the final synopsis and consensus outlook, you MUST provide projections for the playerProjections should include (at a minimum):

For QBs: Passing Yards, Passing TDs, Ints, Rush Yards, Rush TDs
For RBs: Rushes, Rushing Yards, Rush TDs, Receptions, Receiving Yards, Receiving TDs
For WRs & TEs: Receptions, Receiving Yards, Receiving TDsBest of Luck and ENJOY!

 

[Kip Dynamite]

1100 and 7 tds. I hope

 

[lions327]

Calvin Johnson is among the best and most NFL ready WR's to ever come out of college. He is 6 foot 4, 240 pounds, and ran the 40 in 4.35. You don't see that every day. He has impeccable character and work ethic, and is going to the best possible place for early success, the Detroit Lions. Mike Martz will get this guy the ball in situations he can handle, and he is so physically dominant that he has a chance as a rookie to get 8-10 TD's. Martz is not just a great coordinator, but an even better teacher. I rarely think much of the chances of rookie WR's, but then again, Calvin Johnson is not your average rookie WR.

77 catches

1050 yards

8 TD's

 

[BLOX]

All we've head about this kid is that he's the best WR prospect since Fitzgerald. I think he's better than that. He's going to be very good. He's going to be very fun to watch this season. As a Packerfan it's tough to see the two best offensive playmakers go to division rivals (AD in Minny), but it's kind of a good thing as well since I have to watch them play twice a year as well.

I have no idea what kind of numbers he's going to put up this season, but something tells me that we are going to see one of the greatest rookie seasons ever put up by a WR since '98.

It won't be this year, but he's going to be the next WR to put up 20 TDs in a season

 

[Phlash]

He is going to be the #2 in Detroit, but people forget that there are other targets down there (Roy Williams, Kevin Jones, Mike Furrey). I can see a great rookie season, but he isn't going to top 1k yards THIS year (he absolutely will next year).

I'll call it right now

55/890/9

A great rookie season, but I don't see him being an elite player yet, although he is an elite talent.

 

[duaneok66]

Im a big CJ fan . . . how can you not be - he's a great talent with a great attitude??

That being said, look at Holt's #s in 1999:

52/788/6

Holt is a Top 5 receiver so, it's a good comparison . . .

CJ is probably more talented, but everyone knows that WRs dont usually catch on right off the bat . . .

He is playing in the same offense as Holt, BUT with an inferior QB and an inferior OL . . .

That offense was one of the most prolific offenses in football history . . .

I think that Holt's #s in 1999 are reasonable for CJ this year . . .

 

[dickey moe]

Top-tier dynasty prospect; probably will be drafted way too high this year in most redraft leagues.

 

[Londo]

I am expecting something around 800 and 8. This kid is the real deal, and has all the makings of the next great WR.

 

[Ilov80s]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2914874

From Kitna:

"I don't like putting a lot of pressure on people, but Calvin Johnson, to me, will have about the same impact that Reggie Bush had in New Orleans," Kitna said. "He's everything that they said he was and more."

Considering Furrey caught 1086 and 6, I think Calvin can be equally as productive this year.

I'll say he gets less yards because Furrey is still around, but he will be a better red zone target.

53 rec 870 yards 9 TDs

 

[Sabertooth]

He could potenially revolutionize the position. I don't see why he can't put up numbers as good if not better than Colston did. Similar situation in that this is an offense that could really open up this season.

70 - 1050 - 8 seems reasonable over a full 16 games.

Colston managed that over 14 last season.

 

[cscmtp]

85- 1200-12 TDs.

 

[duaneok66]

Top-tier dynasty prospect; probably will be drafted way too high this year in most redraft leagues.

post of the thread . . .

 

[Rev]

He is going to be the #2 in Detroit, but people forget that there are other targets down there (Roy Williams, Kevin Jones, Mike Furrey). I can see a great rookie season, but he isn't going to top 1k yards THIS year (he absolutely will next year).

I'll call it right now

55/890/9

A great rookie season, but I don't see him being an elite player yet, although he is an elite talent.

Fitz, Holt, Roy... most top tier WRs have had pedestrian rookie seasons. I'm one who actually thinks CJ will take a couple years to develop his route running and his ability to make plays after the catch. The best aspect of his college game was jumping over and diving past would be defenders, but he'll need to develop a wider range of skills at the NFL level, as he wont enjoy the same rediculous talent gap. Plus... Detroit has 2 other darn good receivers.

56/680/5

 

[Cowboys#1]

I am probably more bullish than most on Calvin, he has great hands, a good head on his shoulder and is going to a team with an open offense, a good qb, a solid #1 opposite him and a D that can't stop anyone.

I really think he will emerge as a solid #2 for FF purposes in his first year.

74-1020-10

 

[toxicbees]

Great size, top end speed, great hands, knows how to use his body to shield the ball when he catches it. What isn't there to like about Calvin? Add to the fact that he's playing in a pass friendly offense, and is a great red zone target, and you have to like his upside.

85 receptions 1350 yards 10 tds

 

[David Yudkin]

Great size, top end speed, great hands, knows how to use his body to shield the ball when he catches it. What isn't there to like about Calvin? Add to the fact that he's playing in a pass friendly offense, and is a great red zone target, and you have to like his upside.85 receptions 1350 yards 10 tds

There have only been 29 times when a receiver hit all three of those marks in the same season . . . and none of them have been by rookies.

 

[Urinal Mint]

I would be happy to take him early in a rookie draft... and then hopeful he'll be able to match Marques Colston's numbers from his 2006 rookie season (70/1038/8). Or even Anquan Boldin's 2003 rookie season (101/1377/8) as the best case scenario. Temper expectations, remember that Roy Williams is the alpha dog and will line up opposite him, and I think that these numbers are attainable and realistic:

65/900/6

 

[shadyridr]

Id still rank Johnson behind Williams because he is a rookie but he is going to be a stud. WR#2

75 rec, 1050 yds, 8 tds

 

[lions327]

Calvin Johnson is among the best and most NFL ready WR's to ever come out of college. He is 6 foot 4, 240 pounds, and ran the 40 in 4.35. You don't see that every day. He has impeccable character and work ethic, and is going to the best possible place for early success, the Detroit Lions. Mike Martz will get this guy the ball in situations he can handle, and he is so physically dominant that he has a chance as a rookie to get 8-10 TD's. Martz is not just a great coordinator, but an even better teacher. I rarely think much of the chances of rookie WR's, but then again, Calvin Johnson is not your average rookie WR. 77 catches1050 yards8 TD's

Id still rank Johnson behind Williams because he is a rookie but he is going to be a stud. WR#275 rec, 1050 yds, 8 tds

I like the way you think, even if your receptions projection is wrong by two.

 

[komments]

I believe that people are over-projecting Calvin Johnson's numbers for his rookie season. And this from a diehard Lions fan. People are comparing him to Marques Colston of a year ago. Or to Torry Holt. I am amazed no one has offered the Randy Moss comparison yet since his talent is Moss-like and scary. Colston had a great season but if you look a bit more closely you will find that he scored just one TD over the last eight games (and he missed two of them with injury). Colston also topped 100 yards just once in that span.

With Roy Williams and Mike Furrey well established in Detroit and familar with Jon Kitna, I see Johnson being eased into the passing game. Mike Martz has been known to forget the running game but with a defensive-minded head coach I don't believe that will happen in Detroit. So if Kitna completes 380 passes (which would have led the league last year) I would break down the receptions as follows:

RBs would get 105 (slightly up from last year due to the acquisition of Tatum Bell).

TEs would get 40 (approximately the same as last year)

Secondary receivers would get 45 (approximately the same as last year)

That would leave 190 passes to be split between Roy Williams, Calvin Johnson and Mike Furrey. Figure Furrey drops due to moving to the slot and only playing in 3-receiver sets. Let's give him 60 catches. That leaves 130 for Williams and Johnson to share. I believe Williams will get at least the 80 he caught last year which leaves 50 for Johnson.

Now assume Johnson averages 16 yards per catch, that will give him 50 receptions for 800 yards. Depending on how he is used in the red zone, it wouldn't surprise me to see Johnson get about eight TDs. So I believe on the high end you are looking at 70 catches for 1100 yards and nine TDs. On the low end, 40 catches for 600 yards and five TDs. And the end result will be somewhere in the middle - my prediction would be 50 catches for 800 yards and seven TDs.

 

[Bull Dozier]

I took a look at what other receivers drafted in the first round did in their rookie season to get an idea of what realistically can be expected of CJ. Currently projected top 20 receivers drafted in the first round include: Holt, Fitzgerald, Wayne, Harrison, Roy Williams, Lee Evans, Rand Moss, Walker, Andre Johnson, Plax and Santana Moss. Wayne, Walker, Plax and Santana Moss made little to no impact their first year, so I excluded them as most agree CJ will be relied on in his first year to be an integral part of the offense. On the top side, I excluded Randy Moss as his unbelievable rookie season could not be expected. That leaves, Holt, Fitzgerald, Harrison, Roy Williams, Lee Evans, and Andre Johnson. Together, they averaged 57-840-7 their first year. That looks good for a projection for me, and I would think while it is possible he gets more, I would project any more than that for ranking reasons.

 

[SSOG]

RBs would get 105 (slightly up from last year due to the acquisition of Tatum Bell).

Tatum Bell is possibly the worst receiving RB in the entire NFL. Seriously, he couldn't catch a cold. Last year, Bell averaged an absurdly low 3.7 yards per target (compared to 6.7 for Kevin Jones). No way Tatum Bell prompts Detroit to increase how much they use their RBs in the passing game. In fact, if Bell sees significant playtime, I'd expect the RBs to see a REDUCED role, because Bell really sucks as a receiver.Anyway, I agree that Calvin Johnson is being so absurdly overrated from a redraft perspective. I mean, 1350 yards and 10 scores? Only four receivers had 1300 yards last year, only five had 10 scores, and only one had both 1300 yards *AND* 10 scores- the ageless Marvin Harrison. Geez, if we're going to go off the deep end, why not just get it over with and project Calvin to 120/1600/18?Everyone agrees that the only WR who was even close to this highly regarded coming out was Larry Fitzgerald, but everyone seems to have forgotten that Fitz went into a very comparable situation- an extremely Pass-oriented team with a stud WR on the other side and a mediocre QB/OL. Fitz put up 58/780/8. Seems like a decent projection- mark me down for 55/800/8.

 

[Steelnation]

Numbers will be no where near better than Colston

48/698/6

 

[Yitbos69]

He will have a good rookie season.

800/6

 

[Jayrod]

I like the comparisons to Holt, but I think CJ is more gifted. However, he doesn't have Kurt Warner & Marshall Faulk in their prime, but Jon Kitna and Kevin Jones/Tatum Bell.

I think that even if CJ gets more targets than Holt did, the offense will be worse, making those targets in tighter spots from a less accurate QB. That could be considered a wash, but CJ's atheleticism gives him a bit more opportunity for TD's and yards than Holt had.

So based on a slight uptick from Holt's rookie season I'd give him 60 catches for 915 yards and 8 TD's.

 

[The Jacket]

50

850

5

Temper the enthusiasm, folks. WR is possibly the most dependant position in all of sports.

 

[BigRed]

Pretty much what most are saying: great talent, good situation (weird to say that about DET) but hey, he is a rook WR and he does have not 1 but 2 quality WRs to share with. 800-900 and 7-8 is my ballpark guess.

 

[Mr. Bill O'Reilly]

80 receptions, 1200 yards, 10 TDs and a partridge and a pear tree.

 

[JimboJim]

Last season, the Lions top four WRs had the following stats

Williams - 82/1310/7

Furrey - 98/1086/6

Bradford - 14/164/0

Hakim - 17/147/0

Kevin Jones also played a big part in the passing game (61/520/2).

I'm assuming that Jones will not be 100% at the beginning of the season, so I would expect some of the team's RB receptions to be re-distributed among the WR (~20).

I'm also going to assume that the Lions are not going to totally phase Mike Furrey out of the offense just because they brought in CJ.

The problem with projecting CJ's numbers too high are that at least one or more of the following would have to occur for Johnson to have a 1000+ yard, high TD season.

1. Johnson would have to overtake both Williams and Furrey as the top pass-catcher on the Lions.

2. Johnson would have to completely supplant most of the receiving production from the RB position.

2. Johnson would have to completely supplant most of the receiving production from Mike Furrey.

In all, here's what I would expect to see from the Lions top three WRs this season.

Williams - 80/1200/8

Johnson - 65/850/6

Furrey - 60/700/4

 

[jurb26]

Looking at the numbers being posted here, I can safely say Johnson will not land on many of my fantasy teams. That's a shame, he is an easy guy to root for.

65 receptions, 730 yds, 6 TDs

 

[rzrback77]

I believe that Calvin Johnson has the ability to one day be an NFL leader at his position. He is 6'-5", weighs 235, is fast, has some elusive qualities, and is an excellent receiver. Problem is that expectations are just too high. Granted, he is in the "perfect system" and he should start right off the bat, but some of the projections here are just unrealistic. But, there are folks out there that will not only project these numbers, they believe them. And they will draft Calvin Johnson according to those projections and expectations.

The FBG Staff projections are much more conservative than the upper end numbers that are in this thread and they are much more probable in my opinion and here's why I think that.

First, the perfect system is in Detroit as long as Martz is there. But let's look closer. Bulger's ranking the past four years was 6ht, 9th, 23rd, and 3rd. Yes, he ranked 3rd after Martz left. He did miss games in each of the other three years, but his results after Martz are similar to when he had Martz. If you project his yardage numbers up to 16 games, he would have had 4101 in 03, 4530 in 04, and 4594 in 05, He had 4301 in 06. Not much difference. Similarly, Kitna had 4208 yards last year.

There are those that claim that Kitna will have more weapons in 07 with Calvin teaming with Roy Williams, and they also have Furrey, M Robinson, and Shaun McDonald who is very familiar with the Martz system. The thing is that these guys are good options and their individual numbers may take a hit as I don't see Kitna's total passing yardage increasing much.

FBG lists Calvin Johnsons's ADP at WR25 and 68 overall. This is the one ADP that I am seeing that I don't believe is accurate. Last year the WR 25 in FBG scoring was Mark Clayton and he had 67 receptions for 939 yards and 5 TDs. There are just too many guys out there in awe over Calvin Johnson for him to last that long. Look at the above projections again. Do you not think that there are some of these same thinking guys in your league?

He'll have a solid year and will be better in the future, with or without Martz, but the hype is out of control and there are too many options in Detroit for him to meet expectations this year.

Calvin Johnson 65 receptions 800 yards 5 TDs, probably finishing around WR #25.

 

[cscmtp]

Just a point, if Calvin is one of, if not THE best WR prospects ever (and I believe most agree he is) why are so few people willing to set the bar high for him? Predicting 50-65 receptions, 650-800 yards, 4-6 TDs, that sounds like predictions for any starting #2 WR on a lot of teams.

 

[FavreCo]

The Lions aren't going to be able to stop the other offense all year.

CJ 85-1250 13 TD's.

Hell, week 2 vs Minnesota he might score 3 times. Who on that team can stop him? No one, that's who. All they can do is stop the run and Detroit won't be running.

 

[phthalatemagic]

Just a point, if Calvin is one of, if not THE best WR prospects ever (and I believe most agree he is) why are so few people willing to set the bar high for him? Predicting 50-65 receptions, 650-800 yards, 4-6 TDs, that sounds like predictions for any starting #2 WR on a lot of teams.

Because he is a ROOKIE.

 

[cscmtp]

He's not your average bear, I mean rookie, now is he?

 

[lions327]

Just a point, if Calvin is one of, if not THE best WR prospects ever (and I believe most agree he is) why are so few people willing to set the bar high for him? Predicting 50-65 receptions, 650-800 yards, 4-6 TDs, that sounds like predictions for any starting #2 WR on a lot of teams.

Because he is a ROOKIE.

So was Moss, Boldin and Colston, to name a few.

 

[Urinal Mint]

None of the guys you listed played with an alpha dog like Roy Williams, either.

So was Moss, Boldin and Colston, to name a few.

 

[-OZ-]

None of the guys you listed played with an alpha dog like Roy Williams, either.

So was Moss, Boldin and Colston, to name a few.

Chris Carter?I like Roy, a lot, but Carter was every bit as good.The 1997/1998 Viking may be a good comparison, as Jake Reed had 1300 yards in 97, but that went to Moss in 98.

 

[FavreCo]

Everything is lining up for a huge Calvin Johnson year.

1. Candyass schedule: Opp winning % .473

2. He's Calvin Johnson.

3. Martz is nuts and will feed the ball to CJ even if they are up 30 points.....not that that will ever happen.

4. The Lions can't stop anyone so even the crappy teams they play will score and give the ball back to the Lions O.

5. Roy Williams drawing coverage away.

6. The opponent has no clue yet how good he is.

7. Kitna's horrible passes will still be caught because he is Calvin Johnson.

I can think of more if you like.

CALVIN JOHNSON

 

[phthalatemagic]

Just a point, if Calvin is one of, if not THE best WR prospects ever (and I believe most agree he is) why are so few people willing to set the bar high for him? Predicting 50-65 receptions, 650-800 yards, 4-6 TDs, that sounds like predictions for any starting #2 WR on a lot of teams.

Because he is a ROOKIE.

So was Moss, Boldin and Colston, to name a few.

To name a few? Or can you not name anymore? Using exceptions to the rule doens't help your point. For every Anquan Boldin, there are five highly touted rookies that didn't put up pro-bowl numbers in year 1.

 

[phthalatemagic]

He's not your average bear, I mean rookie, now is he?

So? Why are you expecting elite numbers from a rookie in a position that historically chews up new players? Even most great WRs don't hit the ground running, they take a few years too.

 

[David Yudkin]

Using 2006 as a guide, here is how rookie WRs have done over the years (12 team leagues).

Fantasy WR1 (Top 12 or better) would be around 160 fantasy points scored at the low end.

Since 1970, there have been 7 of them (Randy Moss 1998, Anquan Boldin 2003, John Jefferson 1978, Joey Galloway 1995, Michael Clayton 2004, Eric Metcalf 1989 (who may technically have been a RB) and Billy Brooks 1986.

Fantasy WR2 (Top 13-24) would be around 130 fantasy points scored at the low end.

Since 1970, there have been 18 players that fell in this bandwidth.

Fantasy WR3 (Top 25-36) would be around 110 points fantasy points scored at the low end.

Since 1970, there have been 21 that fell in this bracket.

So since 1970, there have been 46 players that would have been fantasy starter worthy in this era (they may have ranked higher in the year they debuted). Using basic math, that works out to roughly 1 a year (and a fraction more).

THe problem is, many times it is not the expected player that is worth starting but another WR all together.

 

[JimboJim]

Just a point, if Calvin is one of, if not THE best WR prospects ever (and I believe most agree he is) why are so few people willing to set the bar high for him? Predicting 50-65 receptions, 650-800 yards, 4-6 TDs, that sounds like predictions for any starting #2 WR on a lot of teams.

I have totally bought into the hype on CJ and would absolutely love to see him outperform my projections (65/850/6).My projections aren't so much an indication of CJ's ability, as they are of his current circumstances.- The team has one other stud WR (Roy) and a guy, who even if CJ supplants him, is going to be an integral part of this offense (Furrey). Both of these guys know the system, have a connection with Kitna and have paid their dues. It's just hard for me to predict CJ getting enough looks (ths season) with Roy and Furrey around to put up huge #s.- The offense as a whole is not that prolific... Kitna is a fair/decent QB; the running game is a question mark without Jones, and the offensive line wasn't majorly upgraded. The yard might be there, but the TDs are going to be hard to predict.If CJ had gone to a team where he would have been the clear-cut #1 WR with a good QB, I wouldn't have had any problem projecting him higher.

 

[Ilov80s]

Just a point, if Calvin is one of, if not THE best WR prospects ever (and I believe most agree he is) why are so few people willing to set the bar high for him? Predicting 50-65 receptions, 650-800 yards, 4-6 TDs, that sounds like predictions for any starting #2 WR on a lot of teams.

I have totally bought into the hype on CJ and would absolutely love to see him outperform my projections (65/850/6).My projections aren't so much an indication of CJ's ability, as they are of his current circumstances.

- The team has one other stud WR (Roy) and a guy, who even if CJ supplants him, is going to be an integral part of this offense (Furrey). Both of these guys know the system, have a connection with Kitna and have paid their dues. It's just hard for me to predict CJ getting enough looks (ths season) with Roy and Furrey around to put up huge #s.

- The offense as a whole is not that prolific... Kitna is a fair/decent QB; the running game is a question mark without Jones, and the offensive line wasn't majorly upgraded. The yard might be there, but the TDs are going to be hard to predict.

If CJ had gone to a team where he would have been the clear-cut #1 WR with a good QB, I wouldn't have had any problem projecting him higher.

I would argue that. The Lions added Foster at RT from Denver. He was a first round pick, has started all 3 seasons for Denver, and is just entering his prime. Mulitalo was an 8 year starter for Baltimore and is a huge upgrade for the Lions.

 

[phthalatemagic]

The Lions added Foster at RT from Denver. He was a first round pick, has started all 3 seasons for Denver, and is just entering his prime. Mulitalo was an 8 year starter for Baltimore and is a huge upgrade for the Lions.

I don't know much about Foster, but Mulitalo is a shadow is his former self.

 

[cscmtp]

Everything is lining up for a huge Calvin Johnson year.

1. Candyass schedule: Opp winning % .473

2. He's Calvin Johnson.

3. Martz is nuts and will feed the ball to CJ even if they are up 30 points.....not that that will ever happen.

4. The Lions can't stop anyone so even the crappy teams they play will score and give the ball back to the Lions O.

5. Roy Williams drawing coverage away.

6. The opponent has no clue yet how good he is.

7. Kitna's horrible passes will still be caught because he is Calvin Johnson.

I can think of more if you like.

CALVIN JOHNSON

:(

 

[Ilov80s]

The Lions added Foster at RT from Denver. He was a first round pick, has started all 3 seasons for Denver, and is just entering his prime. Mulitalo was an 8 year starter for Baltimore and is a huge upgrade for the Lions.

I don't know much about Foster, but Mulitalo is a shadow is his former self.

I don't think Foster is great, but the Lions did not have an NFL caliber RT on the team last year. They were starting guards at right tackle it was so bad. Mulitalo may be a shadow of his old self (I haven't seen enough Ravens games the last 2 years to really judge), but I struggle to believe he isn't better then what the Lions were working with last year.

 

[lions327]

The Lions added Foster at RT from Denver. He was a first round pick, has started all 3 seasons for Denver, and is just entering his prime. Mulitalo was an 8 year starter for Baltimore and is a huge upgrade for the Lions.

I don't know much about Foster, but Mulitalo is a shadow is his former self.

I don't think Foster is great, but the Lions did not have an NFL caliber RT on the team last year. They were starting guards at right tackle it was so bad. Mulitalo may be a shadow of his old self (I haven't seen enough Ravens games the last 2 years to really judge), but I struggle to believe he isn't better then what the Lions were working with last year.

The end of the season, the Lions started a 3rd string RT, and two 3rd string guards. This is a team that had below par starters, let alone the 3rd string. This is a major improvement.

 

[-OZ-]

Everything is lining up for a huge Calvin Johnson year.

1. Candyass schedule: Opp winning % .473

2. He's Calvin Johnson.

3. Martz is nuts and will feed the ball to CJ even if they are up 30 points.....not that that will ever happen.

4. The Lions can't stop anyone so even the crappy teams they play will score and give the ball back to the Lions O.

5. Roy Williams drawing coverage away.

6. The opponent has no clue yet how good he is.

7. Kitna's horrible passes will still be caught because he is Calvin Johnson.

I can think of more if you like.

I have no argument against 1-5. Not sure about 3, but won't be an issue anyway#7 - Kitna is underrated

#6 - yep, I'm sure that while all of the people on this board, all of the scouts, and every NFL GM has high praise for CJ's talents, but his opponents have no clue about him.

 

[SSOG]

Just a point, if Calvin is one of, if not THE best WR prospects ever (and I believe most agree he is) why are so few people willing to set the bar high for him? Predicting 50-65 receptions, 650-800 yards, 4-6 TDs, that sounds like predictions for any starting #2 WR on a lot of teams.

Because he is a ROOKIE.

So was Moss, Boldin and Colston, to name a few.

So were Santanio Holmes, Braylon Edwards, Troy Williamson, Big Mike Williams, Matt Jones, Mark Clayton, Rowdy Roddy White, Larry Fitzgerald, Roy Williams, Reggie Williams, Lee Evans, Michael Jenkins, Michael Clayton, and Rashaun Woods, to name a few more. That's every 1st-round rookie WR from the last three years. Do I need to go on?

I would argue that. The Lions added Foster at RT from Denver. He was a first round pick, has started all 3 seasons for Denver, and is just entering his prime. Mulitalo was an 8 year starter for Baltimore and is a huge upgrade for the Lions.

What? :X Foster didn't start his rookie year, except for a meaningless start against Green Bay in week 17 when Denver was resting all of its real starters for the playoffs. Beyond that, while he very well might be a massive upgrade for the Lions, and while he probably is, in fact, "just entering his prime", Denver sent him packing because they simply didn't want him anymore. He was being outperformed by a veteran OT who had been out of football for two entire years and a rookie undrafted free agent, so "prime" might be a little misleading, here.