We told you DK Metcalf was the Seahawks Megatron
It's almost a cottage industry now to compare Seahawks superstar DK Metcalf to Lions legend Calvin Johnson. We're not the type who says "We told you so," but yeah, we did. Well, mostly.
Allow me to begin with a few disclaimers, 12s. First, DK Metcalf isn't exactly the new Megatron. Yes, he's big and fast - okay, really big and really fast - but he's not a clone of Detroit's Hall of Fame player Calvin Johnson. The comparison is obvious, but all he's ever claimed to be is, well, DK. It's really a disservice to both men to say Metcalf is the new Megatron. He's DK, and that's certainly more than enough for the Seahawks and us. That was more than enough for the Eagles, that's for sure.
But I'm not exactly the only one making this comparison. Okay, I make it often, but I swear I'm not the only one. Here, have some fun. Open another tab and search for "metcalf megatron". A Google search will net you a little under 200,000 responses in all, and nearly 11,000 videos, for those of you who prefer your information audio-visual style. We all know that Megatron never did this, right 12s? I am never passing up an opportunity to show DK run down Budda Baker from behind! For bonus fun, watch this video. Pat McAfee says to Baker, "You had no idea, huh?" and Baker laughs because he knows exactly what he's talking about.
Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf isn't the new Megatron, he's better
Okay, back to the comparison. Not to say I told you so, but I told you so when I wrote that DK Metcalf would have a rookie season that fit right in with a Hall of Fame career. I also wrote that bringing in Eddie Lacy was a great deal for the Seahawks, so maybe I'm not the greatest prognosticator ever. Read the whole thing, because I also wrote, "Very few great wide receivers are near their peak as rookies, and Metcalf isn’t likely to be an exception." So I was right and I was wrong. Not a bad trick.
As for Metcalf vs Johnson head-to-head, now we have four years of stats. We won't get too mathy, don't worry. No, I didn't label who the stats belong to; you know your guy, 12s. Besides, this way you can just show the stats to a non-believer and ask them if they can tell which is DK and which is Megatron.
Rcp | Yds | TD | Rcp | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
58 | 900 | 7 | 48 | 756 | 4 |
83 | 1303 | 10 | 78 | 1331 | 12 |
75 | 967 | 12 | 67 | 984 | 5 |
90 | 1048 | 6 | 77 | 1120 | 12 |
306 | 4218 | 35 | 270 | 4191 | 33 |
Okay, now that you've had your fun, DK Metcalf has the first group of stats. He's ahead of Johnson in receptions, yardage, and scoring, while the Lions Hall of Famer has the advantage in yards per catch, 15.52 to 13.78. A few stats that I didn't list are catch rate. DK pulled in his 306 catches on 499 targets, a rate of 61.3 percent. Not exactly Tyler Lockett's 71.8 percent, is it?
Johnson was actually targeted more than Metcalf, though. His 270 catches came from 517 targets, for a rate of just 52.2 percent in his first four seasons. Megatron improved, but his best season ever was still just 60.8 percent, and he has a career catch rate of 55.7 percent. For most of his career, Matthew Stafford was lofting those passes his way, so we can't blame his catch rate on the QB.
Next. 4 Seahawks who should be next into the Ring of Honor. dark
Overall, I think it's safe to say that DK Metcalf is right to push back on those comparisons to Calvin Johnson. He isn't the next Megatron, or Megatron 2.0. Whether he wants to be known as Optimus Prime, the Wolverine, or the Mandalorian, all 12s can be thankful that DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf will be setting new records for the Seahawks. And yeah, that's why he's DK, not D.K. Some people still can't get it right.