If you ask most NFL fans who the best wide receiver of all time is, the vast majority of them will say Jerry Rice. But if you ask most NFL fans under the age of 25 who the best wide receiver of all time is, you'll probably get quite a few of them who will respond with former Detroit Lions wideout Calvin Johnson, who was so physically dominant that they dubbed him "Megatron".
Johnson retired, like another former Lion great in Barry Sanders, before his prime ended, and while his career didn't span even a full decade, he more than made his presence felt. At his peak, Johnson led the NFL in receiving yards in back to back seasons, notching an NFL record 1,964 yards back in 2012 when he was 27 years old. And even with the expansion from 16 to 17 NFL regular season games, the receiving record remains Megatron's.
In an interview with long time NFL beat reporter Kevin Clark of ESPN, Megatron expressed surprise that his record has stil stood for more than a decade (again, longer than the span of his actual career). And then he name dropped some players who he thinks could be the next ones to break his record and potentially that 2,000 yard mark.
Don't call him Egbigboo
Obviously, he mentioned Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase as two candidates, and it's not exactly a spitting hot take to have the consensus top two receivers in the NFL mentioned. But what is really interesting and what really should make Tampa Bay Buccaneers turn their heads is that he already mentioned rookie wideout Emeka Egbuka as being a caliber of player who could break his own record.
That's actually insane, when you think about it. Egbuka was drafted in the first round with some hype as an Ohio State superstar, but the Bucs already had Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. With those two injured, Egbuka has shown that he already has the quality of a No. 1 wide receiver. Someone like Johnson might not even know every first-round rookie, but the fact that he so quickly knows Egbuka and recognizes him as a potential record breaker who could shatter the record of a top five wide receiver in NFL history is just insane.
The Buccaneers have a truly special wide receiver on their hands in Egbuka, as he is the total package with his physicality, speed, route running, game IQ, and drive to win. Game recognizes game, and Megatron knows that Egbuka is the next big thing at this position.