Despite the current relationship between the Detroit Lions and Calvin Johnson, there is absolutely no question that he was not only the best Lions receiver in franchise history but one of the best receivers in NFL history.
But Johnson almost wasn’t a Detroit Lion.
According to Lane Kiffin, who joined the Dan LeBatard Show in 2020, he wanted the Raiders to select Calvin Johnson but then Raiders owner Al Davis insisted they select QB JaMarcus Russell.
Lane Kiffin: I wanted Calvin Johnson, Al Davis drafted JaMarcus Russell https://t.co/PgsA8DzPf7
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) February 19, 2020
From Pro Football Talk:
“This is nothing against JaMarcus,” Kiffin said. “It was midnight the night before the draft. I said, ‘We’re going to pay this guy $63 million and he’s not ready for it.’ I said I wouldn’t be ready for it at 21. He’s not ready for that and hasn’t played very much. And Mr. Davis is obsessed with the Sugar Bowl game when he beat Notre Dame. He watched that game on TV so he was just obsessed with that.”
Kiffin said he wanted Calvin Johnson, who went to the Lions with the No. 2 overall pick.
“Calvin Johnson was there. I said, Calvin Johnson is the best receiver I’ve ever seen, ever, work out in my life. This guy is going to be one of the best ever. But he was just set in his mind, and obviously it was his franchise, so that’s the direction we went,” Kiffin said.
Nation, how would Calvin Johnson’s career have panned out had he been drafted by the Raiders?
