ESPN ranks Calvin Johnson at No. 57 in their Top 100 Athletes of the 21st Century rankings

Calvin Johnson is one of the greatest football players who ever lived. He is probably the best college receiver of all time, was the best wide receiver when he played in the NFL and is a recent Pro Football Hall of Famer. Johnson was in the news this week when it was announced that he would be inducted into the Pride of the Lions in Detroit and today Johnson is ranked No. 57 on ESPN’s list of the 100 Greatest Athletes of the 21st Century.

Here’s what they had to say about the former Georgia Tech receiver:

Key Accomplishments: Hall of Famer, six-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, HOF All-2010s Team, single-season receiving yards record

“Known as Megatron, Johnson was at the height of his powers in 2012, when he set an NFL single-season record with 1,964 receiving yards, breaking Jerry Rice’s record of 1,848 that had stood since 1985. “It was unbelievable to play with a guy like that. I think I knew from Day One that I was throwing to a Hall of Famer, as long as he stayed healthy,” Matthew Stafford, Johnson’s quarterback during the receiver’s final seven seasons with the Detroit Lions, told ESPN in 2021. “He was a special player and a great person, a great teammate.” At 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, Johnson had a 42-inch vertical leap that allowed him to outpace defenders like he was in a video game.

Johnson is one of the best Detroit Lions and arguably the best player to come out of Georgia Tech. The Lions drafted Johnson with the second pick in the 2007 NFL Draft and he would go on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Detroit Lions.

From ProFootballHOF:

“Johnson was an immediate contributor to Chan Gailey’s offense, with 48 catches, 837 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in his first season in Atlanta. He was named ACC Rookie of the Week four times as a freshman and immediately gained national attention. The weekly accolades helped Johnson earn All-ACC honors as a freshman, a rare feat.

That momentum continued into Johnson’s sophomore season, as he caught 54 passes for 888 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games, again earning him a spot on the All-ACC first team.

Johnson entered his junior season with a lot of hype, appearing on nearly every preseason list for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy. He lived up to expectations and produced his best season, cementing him as one of the best Yellow Jackets of all time. Johnson recorded 76 catches for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns, a production that earned him a third consecutive All-ACC bid.