Calvin Johnson Calvin Johnson Jr . ( born September 29 , 1985 ) , nicknamed Megatron , is an American football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played college football for Georgia Tech , and was recognized as an All - American twice . He was selected by the Lions with the second overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft . On March 14 , 2012 , Johnson signed an eight - year , $ 132 million contract extension with the Lions , one of the largest sports contracts ever . Johnson has a rare combination of size ( 6 ft 5 in and 239 lb ) , hands , speed ( 40 - yard dash in 4 . 35 seconds and 100 meter in 10 . 23 seconds ) , strength , leaping ability , body control and hand - eye coordination . His nickname " Megatron " was given to him by former Lions wide receiver Roy Williams and the name caught on with fans . On December 22 , 2012 , Johnson broke Jerry Rice ' s single - season record for receiving yards , which had previously been 1 , 848 . In that same Saturday night game versus the Atlanta Falcons , Johnson also set the NFL records for consecutive 100 - yard games ( 8 ) and consecutive games with 10 or more receptions ( 4 ) . He also tied Hall of Famer Michael Irvin ' s record for most 100 - yard games in a season with 11 . Early years . Johnson was born to Calvin and Arica Johnson on September 29 , 1985 in Newnan , Georgia . Johnson was 6 feet tall in middle school , and 6 feet 4 inches in 10th grade . He attended Sandy Creek High School in Tyrone , Georgia and was a student and a letterman in football . In football , he was a three - year starter as a wide receiver . As a sophomore , he made 34 receptions for 646 yards and 10 touchdowns . As a junior , Johnson caught 40 passes for 736 yards and eight touchdowns . His number , 81 , was retired on October 22 , 2010 . Johnson was rated among the nation ' s top 10 wide receivers and top 100 players by virtually every recruiting analyst . He was tabbed the No . 4 wide receiver and No . 15 player in the nation by TheInsiders . com , and named to the Super Southern 100 by the " Atlanta Journal - Constitution " , the Rivals 100 by Rivals . com , TheInsiders . com Hot 100 , the SuperPrep All - America 275 and the Prep Star Top 100 Dream Team . He was also rated the No . 1 player in Georgia , No . 12 in the Southeast and No . 37 in the nation by Rivals . com , the No . 7 wide receiver in the nation by SuperPrep , and first - team all - state selection ( Class AAAA ) by the " Atlanta Journal - Constitution " . Finally , he was tabbed to the AJC ' s preseason Super 11 . By the time he was a junior , he was ranked as within the top 10 wide receivers and the top 100 players in the nation by almost every writer . College career . Johnson attended the Georgia Institute of Technology , where he played for coach Chan Gailey ' s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football team from 2004 to 2006 . In his career at Georgia Tech wearing number 21 , Johnson made a case for being the greatest Georgia Tech player of all time . Johnson had 178 receptions in his career , good for 2 , 927 yards and 28 touchdowns . He ranks first in school history in career receiving yards , second in receptions , first in touchdown receptions , and first in career 100 - yard receiving games with 13 . As a freshman in 2004 , Johnson was a first - team All - Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) selection . Johnson was the Jackets ' leading receiver with 48 catches for 837 yards and seven scores , which were Georgia Tech freshman records . Johnson ended his freshman campaign against Syracuse University in the Champs Sports Bowl , where he recorded a touchdown . 2005 was Johnson ' s sophomore year , when he earned first - team All - American honors . He also earned All - ACC honors for the second straight year and was semifinalist for the Fred Biletnikoff Award . He led Tech with 54 catches for 888 yards and six scores . Johnson entered his 2006 junior season in the running for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy . Although Johnson finished tenth in the Heisman voting , he won the Biletnikoff as the best college wide receiver . Johnson was honored as the ACC Player of the Year , was a first - team All - ACC selection for the third consecutive year , and was recognized as a unanimous first - team All - American . Johnson tallied 1 , 202 yards on 76 catches . Johnson ' s 15 touchdowns in 2006 was a new Georgia Tech single - season record . Against the West Virginia Mountaineers in the Toyota Gator Bowl , Johnson had nine catches for 186 yards and two touchdowns , albeit in a losing effort . Academic activities . During the 2006 summer , Johnson , who majored in management with a background in building construction , was given the option of working on either constructing environmentally friendly luxury condo s , or a project building solar latrines to improve sanitation in Bolivia . Johnson chose the latter , as he wanted to help the less fortunate . The " solar latrines " use the sun ’ s rays to safely transform bacteria - laden waste into fertilizer . Professional career . 2007 NFL Draft . Coming out of college , Johnson was hyped to be one of the best wide receivers of all time . Johnson was SI . com ' s Midseason NFL Draft Projection # 1 pick , though Johnson had stated that he intended to earn his degree from Georgia Tech . On January 8 , 2007 , Johnson declared himself eligible for the NFL Draft , bypassing his senior season at Georgia Tech . He was regarded as the best athlete to come out of the draft and was the # 1 player on most draft boards . Johnson was said by ESPN to be able to be productive as a rookie , much like receiver Randy Moss was as a rookie . In a mid - February workout with speed and conditioning coach Mark Pearsall , Johnson clocked a 4 . 33 - second 40 - yard dash , recorded an 11 - foot standing broad jump , and had a vertical leap of 43 inches . Johnson surprised many when he weighed in at 239 pounds at the combine , 12 pounds more than expected , although he claims that this season he played " at about 235 and I got up to 238 " and that his weight was not a problem . Johnson had told the media that he would not run the 40 - yard dash at the combine but would wait until his March 15 workout at Georgia Tech . Johnson ran a 4 . 35 and wowed scouts with his jump drill results , his receiving skills , and his 11 ft 7 in ( 3 . 53 m ) broad jump , which is " best broad jump I can ever remember an NFL prospect having , " according to Gil Brandt . Johnson was selected by the Detroit Lions as the second pick overall in the 2007 NFL Draft . This is the highest a Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket has ever been drafted . The Lions were expected to trade Johnson , most likely to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers , but the team announced that they were keeping him . The next day , the Detroit Tigers invited him to throw out the first pitch . Detroit Lions . 2007 season . Johnson attended Reebok ' s NFL Rookie Premiere in Los Angeles . The Lions , being told by the league that Johnson would have to skip the minicamp to attend , rescheduled the camp to accommodate Johnson . On August 3 , 2007 , Calvin Johnson signed a six - year deal with the Detroit Lions after holding out for eight days , and passed his physical in time to be on the field for the start of that morning ' s practice . He was represented by agent James " Bus " Cook . The contract is worth up to $ 64 million , with $ 27 . 2 million in guaranteed money , making Johnson the third highest - paid player in Lions history ( the highest at the time , since passed by Matthew Stafford and Ndamukong Suh ) and the highest - paid receiver ( in guaranteed money ) in the NFL . Although he did not start the game , Johnson had an impressive NFL debut on Sunday , September 9 , 2007 , catching 4 passes for 70 yards and his first career touchdown in Detroit ' s 36 – 21 win over the Oakland Raiders . He sustained a lower back injury after making a catch over two Philadelphia Eagles defenders on September 23 , 2007 . He scored his first NFL rushing touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on October 21 , 2007 on a 32 - yard reverse play . Fellow teammate Roy Williams nicknamed Johnson " Megatron " , due to his large hands being similar to that of the towering Decepticon . The nickname caught on well with fans . Williams later changed the nickname to " Bolt " after Jamaican sprinting phenom Usain Bolt , comparing the two athletes ' similar height and running abilities . Johnson finished the 2007 season with 756 yards and 5 total touchdowns . In 2008 , Johnson said he could " still feel " the lower - back injury that bothered him throughout his rookie season . Johnson took five weeks off after the 2007 season and was taking part in the Lions ' offseason program . " I know it ' s there but it doesn ' t hurt , " he said . Johnson revealed that he needed Vicodin to play through the final three months of the 2007 season . He needed the medication to help him play with a bone bruise in his back . " I was on meds the rest of the season , " he said . " I was taking Vicodin twice a game just to get through the game . I stayed hurt the whole season , probably because I was trying to come back too soon . " Johnson averaged 15 . 8 yards on 48 catches in the 2007 season . 2008 season . Johnson and the Lions faced the Atlanta Falcons on the road on September 7 , 2008 , to begin the season . As the official starting wide receiver behind Roy Williams , Johnson led the team in receptions and yards , collecting 7 catches for 107 yards , which included one 38 - yard catch - and - run in the Lions ' 34 – 21 loss . During week 2 versus the Green Bay Packers , he had two key touchdowns late in the game , which sparked a large comeback , though the Lions eventually lost the game , 48 – 25 . Both touchdowns catches included a run after the catch ( the first catch going for 38 yards and the second going for 47 yards , both over the middle ) displaying Johnson ' s speed and breakaway ability . He ended the game with 6 receptions for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns . In the following two games , losses to San Francisco and Chicago , Johnson failed to score a touchdown or gain over 50 yards receiving . However , against the Minnesota Vikings , Johnson had 4 receptions for 85 yards and his third touchdown of the season . On October 14 before the week 6 trade deadline , Roy Williams was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a first , a 3rd and a 7th - round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft , making Johnson the Lions ' starting wide receiver and the last big threat on the offense . In his first game without Roy Williams alongside him in the week 7 game against the Houston Texans , Johnson caught only 2 passes , totaling 154 yards receiving ; the first pass didn ' t come until Dan Orlovsky threw a pass up for grabs at the end of the first half which Johnson caught for 58 yards and the second pass came on a 96 - yard touchdown catch - and - run . With Williams gone and starting quarterback Jon Kitna lost to injury for the season , the Texans defense had little to do to stop the Lions ' offense but shut down Johnson , winning the game 28 – 21 . Johnson set a career high for receptions in a game during the week - 9 match - up against their division rivals , the Chicago Bears , with 8 receptions that garnered 94 yards and one touchdown , although still losing the game 27 – 23 . During week 10 , formerly retired All - Pro quarterback Daunte Culpepper was signed to a one - year contract with the Lions in hopes to spur the offense and earned the starting job for the next two games . Johnson ended his first game with Culpepper at quarterback with 2 receptions for 92 yards in a 38 – 14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars . In Johnson ' s 4th game with Culpepper , he had 5 catches for 66 yards . During the week 14 match - up against the division rival Minnesota Vikings , Johnson passed the 1 , 000 - yard receiving mark for the first time in his career after collecting 3 catches for 84 yards and one touchdown , ending the week with 1 , 055 yards receiving and 9 touchdowns on the season . Johnson and the 2008 Detroit Lions finished the first ever 0 – 16 season in NFL history after a 31 – 21 loss to the Green Bay Packers in week 17 . Despite the Lions ' failures , Johnson finished as one of the strongest wide receivers statistically for the season , finishing fifth in receiving yards ( 1 , 331 ) and 7th in receiving yards per game ( 83 . 2 ) , and leading the league in receiving touchdowns ( 12 ) . However , Johnson missed the Pro Bowl , with most experts attributing the snub to the Lions ' dismal winless season ( he was named an alternate instead ) . 2009 season . After 2008 , Detroit ' s front office and coaching personnel were essentially overhauled by the team ownership . Matt Millen , the team ' s incumbent general manager and CEO since 2001 , was terminated on September 28 , 2008 . His replacement , Martin Mayhew , ultimately terminated head coach Rod Marinelli in the off - season . Marinelli was replaced by Jim Schwartz , then defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans . Schwartz ultimately revamped the entire Detroit offensive ( and defensive ) philosophies - hiring Scott Linehan and Gunther Cunningham , respectively . Detroit held the first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft , and selected Matthew Stafford out of the University of Georgia . Stafford was named the team ' s starting quarterback out of training camp , but he battled various injuries throughout the season . Much of the 2008 Detroit roster was released by the new regime , and the 2009 team was viewed as somewhat of a work - in - progress , but Johnson still finished the 2009 season with 67 receptions 984 yards and five TDs , while completely missing two games . 2010 season . In a week 1 game against the Chicago Bears , Johnson caught a pass with 31 seconds left in regulation in the end zone for what looked like a game - winning touchdown . However , referee Gene Steratore ruled the catch incomplete , saying that Johnson had not maintained possession of the ball through the entire process of the catch . The Lions lost the game , 19 – 14 . Johnson amassed 77 receptions for 1 , 120 yards and 12 TDs during 2010 . He was also selected to the first Pro Bowl of his career on December 28 . Following the 2010 season , Johnson was the recipient of the Lions / Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association / Pro Football Writers Association ( Detroit Chapter ) Media - Friendly Good Guy Award . 2011 season . In 2011 , Johnson had his best statistical season of his NFL career , reaching a career - high 1 , 681 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns . In a week - 4 game against the Dallas Cowboys , Johnson helped rally the Lions from a 24 - point deficit to a 34 - 30 victory by catching two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter , including a famous catch in which Johnson beat the Cowboys ' triple coverage in the end zone . This performance gave Johnson 8 touchdown receptions through the first four games of the season and tied Cris Carter for most consecutive games with multiple touchdown receptions at 4 . In a Week 17 game against the Green Bay Packers , Johnson had a career - best 244 receiving yards in a 45 - 41 loss . Johnson and the Lions clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 1999 , and the first time in Johnson ' s career , after a 38 - 10 beating of the San Diego Chargers on Christmas Eve . However , Detroit would ultimately lose on the road against the Packers the following week ( New Year ' s Day ) and would find themselves on the road again in a game against the heavily favored New Orleans Saints in the playoff bracket . Always tough to play against at the Superdome , the Saints wore down the Detroit defense and New Orleans would go on to a win 45 - 28 . In the game , Johnson caught 12 passes for 211 receiving yards and two touchdowns - breaking Detroit ' s playoff record of 150 receiving yards in a playoff game previously held by Brett Perriman and Leonard Thompson . 2012 season . On March 14 , 2012 , Johnson signed an 8 - year extension worth $ 132 million with the Detroit Lions , with $ 60 million guaranteed , making Johnson the highest - paid receiver in the league . Johnson beat out 42 other players and eliminated Cam Newton to win the " Madden NFL 13 " cover athlete on April 25 , 2012 , on " SportsNation " . From week 9 - 16 , he recorded consecutive games with 125 receiving yards or more , which broke the NFL record previously held by Pat Studstill . On December 22 , 2012 against the Atlanta Falcons , Johnson broke Jerry Rice ' s single - season receiving yards record of 1 , 848 yards . Johnson was also named a starter for the NFC in the Pro Bowl played in Honolulu , Hawaii . Johnson finished with 72 yards against Chicago in week 17 , missing out on 2000 by just 36 yards . Johnson finished the season leading the league in receptions with 122 , along with receiving yards with 1 , 964 . 2013 season . On October 27 , 2013 , in a 31 – 30 win over the Dallas Cowboys , Johnson caught 14 of 16 passes thrown in his direction ; he finished the game with 329 receiving yards and one touchdown . In addition to breaking the Lions ' franchise record of 302 receiving yards set by Cloyce Box on Dec . 3 , 1950 , it was the highest receiving yardage ever in a regulation - length game and the second - highest overall single - game yardage in NFL history , behind Flipper Anderson ' s 336 - yard performance in a 1989 overtime win ( Anderson accumulated 40 of those yards in overtime ) . In this same game , Calvin also tied Lance Alworth for the most career games with at least 200 yards receiving ( 5 ) . In a Week 10 game against the Chicago Bears , Johnson had two TD receptions . The second one gave him the Lions all - time record for touchdown catches ( 63 ) , breaking the old mark previously held by Herman Moore . Johnson was named to the 2014 Pro Bowl , but an injury forced him to withdraw .