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I did not see this already on the board, thought is was pretty neat for Micah to get a mention. He is a very nice person, he played co-ed softball a few summers ago with me, he could cover the whole outfield and beat out a grounder to ss. Thats the first i got to see of his super speed!
Late-round picks catch on at WRBy Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
Houston Texans star Andre Johnson, the leading receiver in the NFL in 2006 with 103 catches, is a former first-round draft choice and a two-time Pro Bowl performer and generally is regarded around the league as one of its emerging young stars.
The runner-up to Johnson last season with 98 catches, Mike Furrey of Detroit, was an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played in the short-lived XFL and the Arena Football League before making an NFL roster, was a safety for the St. Louis Rams before moving to wide receiver full time and had more tackles (59) than catches (21) entering the 2006 campaign.
Yet Furrey, a self-described "slow, possession-type white guy" of modest athletic capabilities, had only five fewer receptions than Johnson, registered the same average yards per catch and scored one more touchdown than his more-talented counterpart.
Kevin C. Cox/WireImage.com
Calvin Johnson caught 76 passes for 1,202 yards and 15 TDs last season.Given their similar accomplishments, Furrey and Johnson represent the difficult decision franchises face in the opening round of the draft every spring. And that conundrum -- whether to invest a first-round choice on a wide receiver or trust that a serviceable pass catcher will be available in a later round, as they typically are in every lottery -- is probably even more profound this year because of the presence of Calvin Johnson.
The Georgia Tech star, who did nothing to diminish his brilliant reputation when he auditioned for NFL coaches and scouts last week on campus, is the consensus No. 1 prospect in the draft pool.
"Far and away the best player, the safest pick, a guy you can take and probably have no [qualms] about him on or off the field," said the college scouting director for a team with a choice in the top 10 on April 28.
Yet that doesn't mean Johnson will be the first name called by commissioner Roger Goodell when he steps to the podium to commence the proceedings.
There are, of course, individual team needs that will dictate which players are picked early. And there is, in the case of the wide receiver position, a history that suggests that pass-catchers don't necessarily merit top-10 consideration.
Who's to say, for instance, that Micah Johnson of Division I-AA South Dakota State, a wide receiver with impressive college statistics and projected as a possible midround pick, won't have a more immediate impact in the NFL than Calvin Johnson? Or that Lance Johnson from Catawba, a Division II school, won't be a star at the NFL level. After all, it has happened before at wide receiver. (for more go to link Below)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft0...amp;id=2805425
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