If DK Metcalf Really is the Next Megatron, Vikings Fans Should Be Excited
Josh Frey
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DK Metcalf has been catching passes and headlines ever since he entered the league last season, and rightly so. He leads the NFL in receiving yards, and he lit up the Eagles’ defense for 177 more yards on Monday night. However, it seems that he is in headlines less for his phenomenal performance, and more for some comments made by Philadelphia defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz.
Schwartz supposedly meant these comments as compliments. Whatever he meant them as, being an NFL coach, you’d think he’d have been smarter than to give an opponent bulletin board material just hours, or maybe even minutes, before kickoff by saying he isn’t as good as another historic receiver.
Schwartz may also just be wrong in stating that Metcalf isn’t Megatron yet. Both he and Calvin Johnson are two of the most physically imposing players that the wide receiver position has ever seen. Johnson stands at 6-foot-5 and was 237 pounds while in the NFL whereas Metcalf stands at *only* 6-foot-4, 229 pounds. For reference, former All-Pro linebacker, Luke Kuechly, is 6-foot-3, and was listed at 238 pounds during his playing days. Ya, we’re talking about some big dudes here.
Now, I know I’m going to get some raised eyebrows for being a 20-something suggesting that a current player might be on par with a legend, but just hear me out for now. If you still disagree at the end, you can feel free to tell me to quit my job and become a dentist or something down below.
Looking at Johnson’s entire second NFL season compared to Metcalf’s through 11 games, this is where they stack up.
Megatron
78 receptions
1331 yards
12 touchdowns
Metcalf (Megatron 2.0)
58 receptions
1039 yards
9 touchdowns
You may look at this and say, “well, Metcalf’s stats are skewed; offenses throw more now than they did in 2008.” Sure, as a whole, offenses throw more often now than they did when Megatron was getting started. However, here are the target numbers for both players:
‘08 Megatron: 150
‘20 Megatron 2.0 (so far): 90
Metcalf (or Megatron 2.0 if you haven’t caught on yet) has 60% of the targets that Calvin Johnson had in 2008 while being, if my calculations are correct (carry the two…), just under 69% of the way into the season. So basically, Megatron 2.0 is on track to surpass Megatron’s yardage production by a couple hundred yards and catch more touchdowns on significantly FEWER opportunities.
The other argument you could make is that Russell Wilson is a much better quarterback than the 0-16 Lions’ combination of Dan Orlovsky, Jon Kitna, and Daunte Culpepper. To that, I would have to concede. The quarterback play in Seattle is far superior to that of the 2008 Lions.
However, if you want to look at Detroit’s first full year of Matthew Stafford (2011), Megatron earned 158 targets for 96 catches, 1681 yards, and 16 touchdowns. If you remember, Stafford was incredible that season. He threw for over 5000 yards and carried a team that had gone under .500 in each of the previous 10 seasons to 10-6 and a playoff spot.
It was also a career year for Megatron, and his 16 touchdowns were the highest of his career while yardage was second only to his record-breaking 1964 yards that he recorded the following season.
Megatron 2.0 is on pace for 84 catches, 1511 yards, and 13 touchdowns on just 130 targets this year. If he got those extra 28 targets that Megatron got in 2011, his slashline would project to 102-1836-16. Remember, this is still just his second season, at the ripe old age of…22. He’s not at the peak of the mountain yet; he can still improve on these, already ridiculous, statlines.
So, what does this have to do with the Vikings?
Well, as you may have heard, the Vikings have their own young stud at wide receiver. Justin Jefferson definitely doesn’t get as much press as Megatron 2.0, but he sure puts in the work to make up for it.
You’re probably thinking right now that there’s no way Jefferson is on the level of either of the Megatrons at this point. I’m not going to argue against that because there still are improvements to make, and it is a lot harder for him considering he is not quite the physical freak that the other two are. Jefferson is a puny 6-1 and 202 pounds compared to these monsters.
However, I would also point out that neither of the Megatrons were really at their peaks during their rookie seasons. They both got significantly better during year two as do many of the great receivers in the NFL. Jefferson will have to do that in order to truly put himself in that conversation.
Given Jefferson’s work ethic, his ability to play outside or in the slot, and a very well-run offense, there’s no reason to believe he won’t get better in year two. I am especially confident in this knowing that he’ll have the expectation of being a starter right out of the gate whereas he did not have that this season.
That said, Jefferson is still having a fantastic rookie season despite having a Pro Bowl running back and Pro Bowl receiver alongside him in the offense. In fact, Jefferson’s rookie stats are on pace to demolish those of both Megatron and Megatron 2.0. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the three.
Receptions
Megatron 2.0- 58
Jefferson (so far)- 52
Megatron-48
Receiving Yards
Jefferson (so far)- 918
Megatron 2.0- 900
Megatron- 756
Receiving Touchdowns
Megatron 2.0- 7
Jefferson (so far)- 6
Megatron- 4
And here’s the kicker:
Targets
Megatron 2.0- 100
Megatron- 93
Jefferson (so far)- 72
It is worth noting that Calvin Johnson started just 10 games his rookie year, but he did play in 15. However, as you can see, he did get 21 more targets than Jefferson has so far. Even so, Jefferson’s rookie statline through 11 games looks nearly identical to how D.K. Metcalf’s looked in an entire 16-game season, and he’s done it on fewer than three-quarters of the opportunities. His slashline is projected to be 76/1335/9, which would put him well ahead of both Megatrons in every category for their rookie campaigns.
Here’s where Vikings fans should find a chair or at least something to lean on. Just for fun, since we did it with Metcalf, let’s see what Jefferson’s numbers would project to if he got the 158 targets that Johnson got in 2011. Seriously, Vikings fans, get to a wall or the couch right now.
Receptions: 117
Receiving Yards: 2060
Receiving Touchdowns: 13
Yes, you read that correctly, Jefferson would be on pace to put nearly 100 yards on Megatron’s receiving record (in his rookie season!!!) if he got the number of targets that Megatron got throughout much of his career.
The 158 is actually Megatron’s second highest total, but he recorded 149 or more in every year that he played 16 games. As for the insane 204 targets that Megatron got when he actually set the receiving record, well, you really don’t even want to know what Megatron 2.0 or Jefferson’s projections would look like.
Now you can argue Russell Wilson is better than Matthew Stafford or any other of Calvin Johnson’s QBs if you want, but surely, none of you are going to argue that Kirk Cousins is a better quarterback than Russell Wilson, right? If you try to now, you’re lying to yourself and everyone else. I’ve seen the comments section.
At the end of the day, this whole piece is not to take away anything from Megatron’s greatness. He earned the nickname Megatron by being one of the greatest receivers to ever step foot on an NFL field. I loved watching him on a weekly basis growing up, and I wish we could have gotten to see a few more years out of him.
Instead, this whole rant is simply to say: sit down and buckle up, Vikings fans. It’s going to be a wild ride following No.18’s career. And maybe we should jump the gun and start calling him Megatron 3.0? Just throwing it out there.