The birds and the bees
Will the Falcons draft the Yellow Jacket?

Jared Putnam

The Falcons took two steps in the right direction last week, dealing backup quarterback Matt Schaub to the Houston Texans in exchange for a pair of second round picks, and a swap of first round draft choices.

Two steps up, from the tenth pick to the eighth pick.

Two steps toward Calvin Johnson. Maybe.

The Falcons say that drafting Johnson is probably not in their plans. After all, the team has spent first round picks on wide receivers in two of the past three drafts, with only a disappointing Michael Jenkins and Roddy White to show for it. As if that weren't enough, a good case can be made that the team has more pressing needs in at least four other positions.

That said, I hope the team is only practicing misdirection about the prospect of drafting the Georgia Tech receiver, because in spite of all the reasons they shouldn't do it...they should anyway.

You just don't find much more of a sure thing than Calvin Johnson. He could end up being the NFL's best wide receiver. Ever.

Sportswriters throw buzzwords around all the time, and Johnson epitomizes one of them. Freak. Not as in third arm growing out of your neck, but more like, might qualify as a member of the X-Men. To find someone that big, that fast, with those hands is rare.

But Johnson is more than the sum of his athletic abilities. Go ahead and add in the fact that he's a hometown boy, and don't underestimate how important that is.

After all, someone will have to sell merchandise whenever the Falcons finally send Michael Vick packing, and don't expect to see people suddenly lining up to buy Todd McClure jerseys.

Need another reason? Johnson is the antithesis of problem child star receivers Terrell Owens and Randy Moss. Johnson may have their size, speed, and hands, but he doesn't come with their emotional issues.

As for the fact that the Falcons have made poor draft choices on receivers in the past, that shouldn't be as much of a reason to pass on Johnson as it should be a reason to take him. The Falcons did not solve their receiver issues with Jenkins and White.

They turned out to be band-aids on the problem. Neither has shown any indication that they have what it takes to be a number one guy, and while the addition of free agent Joe Horn may provide a stable, proven veteran, how much longer will his aging, injuryprone body hold up?

Drafting a proven commodity like Johnson is another deal entirely. Getting former Miami standout receiver Andre Johnson with the third pick of the 2003 draft is the best, and perhaps only wise decision the Houston Texans ever made. Even in their inept offense with the equally inept David Carr throwing to him, Andre Johnson led the league in receptions this season.

Calvin Johnson could do just as much, if not more for the Falcons. He acheived greatness in college with Reggie Ball throwing to him. There's no reason to think he couldn't pull off a similar miracle with Vick.