Follow-up: Calvin Johnson Can Catch!

Calvin Johnson performed in his first private workout since his pro day for the Buccaneers on Friday. And guess what... he caught the ball!

Johnson, wearing a gray workout shirt and blue shorts, caught passes from almost every conceivable angle on a variety of routes, short and deep, sideline and across the middle. He dropped about three passes the whole workout, and he made some pretty grabs on passes [Chris] Simms threw behind him or to the side.

Simms knew there is a remote possibility that Bruce Gradkowski could be pressed into action in 2007, so he had to make sure Johnson was comfortable with catching the ball behind him.

Though it is no secret that landing Johnson would absolutely beatify the man, Jon Gruden, for his part, was tight-lipped about what he thought.

"We had a great time getting to know him again," Gruden said as he headed into Tech's football offices to watch game video. "I don't have much else to say other than the draft is coming up and we're doing the best we can to get it right."

The Raiders are still throwing out false signals about their love for Johnson, but once Al Davis compared JaMarcus Russell to John Elway, his fate was pretty much sealed. Davis is still bitter over losing Elway in 1983 when the Bears backed out of a three-way trade for his rights and won't make the same mistake with Russell. Oakland's most desperate need is at quarterback, and Russell has the cannon to make Davis happy. They ain't taking Johnson.

The Lions, on the other hand, just might if for no other reason than to stick it to the team that held their head coach and defensive coordinator back for so long. Even if the Lions don't want to hold onto Johnson, they could pick him, net a ransom for him from the Falcons and still draft Amobe Okoye with the Falcons' #10, thus not only crushing Jon Gruden's will to live but adding the insult of making him face Johnson twice a year. The upside to that scenario? Joe Thomas would almost certainly fall to the Bucs at #4. Thomas certainly isn't the sexiest pick (that's Johnson... rawr!) but he's probably the best choice for his value at #4.