Portal:College football/Selected article/September, 2007

Photo credit: Jamie Howell

Calvin Johnson (born September 25, 1985 in Tyrone, Georgia) is a professional American football player who was drafted by the Detroit Lions. He spent three years for the Yellow Jackets at Georgia Tech until declaring for the 2007 NFL Draft. He played his first season for the Yellow Jackets in 2004 as a wide receiver. Johnson has a rare combination of size (6 ft. 5 in., 239 lb/ 196 cm, 108 kg), speed (4.35 sec 40-yard dash), strength, leaping ability (more than 45" (114 cm) vertical), body control and hand-eye coordination. It is often mentioned that he is also a very humble and well-behaved person, exemplified by his building trip (see below), and his refraining from showing off or getting into confrontations on the field. On January 8, 2007, Johnson declared he would forgo his senior year and enter the 2007 NFL Draft. Johnson was selected by the Detroit Lions as the 2nd pick overall in the 2007 NFL Draft.