Johnson leaving Tech for NFL

Jan 8, 2007, 18:20 GMT

Atlanta, GA - Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson has decided to skip his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.

Accompanied by his parents and older sister, Johnson made the announcement Monday at a news conference on the Georgia Tech campus.

Johnson was the Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top wide receiver this past season and was selected for a number of All-America teams. He also finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy balloting and was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year.

In 14 games, he caught 76 passes for 1,202 yards with 15 touchdowns, doing it despite a quarterback in Reggie Ball who completed only 44 percent of his passes.

Johnson finished his collegiate career with nine catches for a career-best 186 yards and two touchdowns in a 38-35 Gator Bowl loss to West Virginia.

For his career, he set school records with 2,927 yards receiving and 28 touchdown catches, and his 178 receptions rank second in Tech history.

The 6-foot-5 Johnson is expected to be among the top players selected in April's draft. He would be the first Tech player chosen in the first round since linebacker Keith Brooking went to the Atlanta Falcons in 1998.

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