D.K. Metcalf is a special kind of athletic specimen. People that big aren't supposed to be that fast. You've probably seen the 99-yard chase down of Buddar Baker, where he looked like a big brother chasing down his little brother before he can tell mom you hit him. The NFL has not seen a person like this since Calvin Johnson. But with a better quarterback in Russell Wilson and a better team in the Seattle Seahawks, I believe DK Metcalf will break Calvin Johnson's single-season receiving record sometime over the next two years.
Welcome back to Far-Fetched Friday, where every Friday we give you a bold prediction that we believe will come to fruition. This Friday let's look at the NFL's latest transformer.
What makes DK so special is exactly what made Calvin Johnson so special. A unique combination of strength, power, height, and speed. In a league of athletic freaks, these two are the biggest freaks in recent NFL history.
At 6 foot 5 inches, Calvin Johnson clocked in a 4.35 40 yard dash time at the 2007 NFL combine and remains the only player 6 foot 5 or taller to run the 40 in under 4.4 seconds.
For DK Metcalf, at 6 foot 4 inches, he clocked in a 4.33 40 yard dash time at the 2019 NFL combine. That 4.33 time is the fastest ran by any player 225+ since the NFL started tracking the data in 2003.
Calvin Johnson was known as Megatron. I think it's time we start calling DK Metcalf Optimus Prime.
I don't think he'll do it this season since he's only on pace for 1,554 yards. The single-season receiving record is the 1964 yards Calvin Johnson had in the 2012 NFL season. But that record looks more attainable when you look at their season by season progression.
As a rookie, Calvin Johnson had 756 receiving yards on 48 catches, last year as a rookie, DK had 900 yards on 58 catches.
Calvin Johnson, in his second season, had 78 catches for 1331 yards. DK is currently on pace for 82 catches and 1554 yards.
What that tells us is that DK is used primarily as a deep weapon, but a frequently used deep weapon as opposed to a last ditched option. The Seahawks offense is not the run first one of the early Russell Wilson days, this Seahawks team is currently third in passing yards, and the DK and Russel relationship is only going to strengthen.
Russell Wilson is a better quarterback than Matt Stafford ever was, and the Seahawks are a much better team than the Lions ever were with Calvin Johnson.
In 2008 even with Calvin Johnson, the Lions went 0 and 16. The 11 games Metcalf as a rookie matches Calvin Johnson's best-ever season 8 years into his career.
On top of that, Johnson entered the NFL with 38 college games already under his belt. Metcalf only played 21 collegiate games, which may contribute to his longevity, increasing his chances to beat Calvin Johnson's record.
Calvin Johnson set the NFL single-season receiving record with 1964 yards in 2012. I fully expect that by next season or 2022, DeKaylin Zacharius Metcalf will not only break that record, but he will be the first receiver in NFL history to reach 2,000 receiving yards.
It is time to throw away the American inferiority complex with its place in the sport, where many blindly claim that technique should come above all in choosing and developing the best prospects and that the U.S. is not an international power because it cares too much about athleticism.
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