National Football League

Mega Metcalf

Updated Oct. 15, 2020 6:25 p.m. ET

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"DK" is actually short for DeKaylin – but if a sports fan thought it stood for "defense killer," they wouldn't technically be wrong.

Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf is quickly making the transition from young stud to bonafide superstar. 

The transition is happening so quickly, in fact, that one of his current superstar teammates sees legend-status approaching in the near future for Metcalf. 

Megatron, of course, is future Hall of Fame receiver Calvin Johnson, who spent the entirety of his nine-year career with the Detroit Lions before retiring after the 2015 season.

It's lofty praise from Adams – who is a two-time Pro Bowler and was named First-Team All-Pro just last season – but it's not outrageous when considering the success that Metcalf has found through 21 professional appearances.

During his rookie campaign in 2019, Metcalf played in 16 games (he started 15), caught 58 balls, and tallied 900 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

And through five games this season, he already has 496 receiving yards (third in the NFL) and five touchdowns (tied for third in the NFL) on a mere 22 receptions, tied for 27th in the league.

Metcalf's 22.5 yards per catch is tops in the NFL, and his 99.2 receiving yards per game are third.

In Johnson's rookie season in 2007, he made 15 appearances, starting in 10 games. He accumulated 48 receptions, 756 receiving yards and four TDs. 

However, it was his sophomore season in which he truly arrived. 

Megatron tallied 78 catches, 1,331 receiving yards and 12 TDs, and from 2008 to 2015, he registered at least 1,000 receiving yards in seven of eight seasons. 

The lone year in which he didn't pass the 1,000-yard threshold came in 2009, when he finished with 984 yards in only 14 games.

Johnson would lead the league in receiving yards twice, posting 1,681 yards in 2011, before posting an all-time single season record of 1,964 yards in 2012.

Metcalf is on pace to tally 1,587 receiving yards this season, which would best Johnson's 1,331 in his second season, but the comparison between the two isn't reserved to just stats.

It's also about stature.

Metcalf stands 6'4" and weighs 230 pounds, eerily similar to Johnson's 6'5", 235-pound playing frame. 

In addition, these big guys can move. At the NFL Draft Combine, Johnson ran a 4.35 40-yard dash. 

Metcalf ran a 4.33. 

DK has been so dominant in his young career that his quarterback, nine-year veteran and current superstar Russell Wilson, is ready to give Metcalf the "clutch" tag at age 22. 

"He's been spectacular," Wilson said. "We spent a lot of time this offseason together ... We spent hours and hours trying to perfect the little details ... He loves the game, he's passionate ... and obviously, he's a freak of nature."

Johnson, and now Metcalf, are both considered by the masses to be "freaks of nature" given their immense size and speed advantages, but still, one former NFL receiver sees less Megatron and more shades of a current Hall of Famer in Metcalf. 

Here's a hint: he also goes by two letters. 

"Megatron is a monster. He's in a class of itself. You gotta go with T.O. here. There's something about T.O. and there's something electric about DK."

Regardless of who he's compared to, it appears that DK might one day find himself discussed upon the greatest of the greats. 

And he might even earn his way into a conversation defined by four letters instead of two: G.O.A.T.

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DK Metcalf

Jamal Adams

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