Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson Talks Stafford, NFL Draft & More with Rich

Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson sat with Rich on Friday and turned a draft-week visit into a clinic on what the moment actually feels like, and what it asks of the men who survive it.

The second overall pick of the 2007 draft, Johnson said his memory of being chosen by the Detroit Lions is mostly the noise of his family at the round table, and how fast life accelerated after the call. "Just walking out on that stage, you know, shaking Goodell's hand, it's like, you know, just a moment for it's a moment of transition," Johnson said. "Then like once you put the hat on, you're like, okay, now the real work starts."

That work, Johnson argued, is what every receiver taken Thursday night now owes the franchise that picked him. Asked what advice he would give Carnell Tate, the first wideout off the board, Johnson laid out the diagnostic he ran on himself for nine seasons. "Find a way to endear yourself to the fans and the way to do that is by working your tail off," Johnson said. "Really focusing on what you're good at, what you're bad at, you know, making that list, you know, and going through that list and putting the work into each of those different attributes each and every day."

The most telling stretch came when Rich asked Johnson when he realized Matthew Stafford was different. "Instantly," Johnson said. "He was, you know, blowing my hands up instantly." The takeaway was not the velocity. It was the placement. "That dude can get me the ball anywhere on the field," Johnson said, and he extended that read directly to Stafford's situation in Los Angeles, where the Rams just used a first-round pick on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson while Stafford remains the starter.

Johnson does not see a problem there. "I don't think Matthew is stressing about that. I think Matthew understands how these things work," he said. "There's football after Matthew Stafford. So he understands that the organization has to put themselves in situation and I think he can be a great mentor for whoever they bring in there."

The interview closed where Johnson is putting his post-football energy. The fourth annual Calvin Johnson Jr. Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic returns June 15 at the Cardinal at St. John's Resort in Plymouth, Michigan, raising money for literacy programs and college scholarships. Johnson said the day doubles as a reunion, a reason to pull former teammates back into the same room. "I don't miss the grind. I miss the camaraderie," he said. "That's why, you know, I do my golf outing, my scholarship thing, but a big part of it is to bring the guys back together."