Notes: Calvin Johnson shares Hall of Fame honors with teammates: ‘We made it’

Though Calvin Johnson’s play on the field was flashy, his demeanor and attitude were not. While many NFL players of lesser talent tend to try and draw the spotlight to themselves, Johnson was never one of those players.

And if you thought being a first ballot Hall of Famer may change that aspect of his personality, you’d be dead wrong.

Johnson joined NFL Network since being elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of the 2021 class and said one of his favorite moments of that weekend was sharing the honor with his former teammates.

“They played a huge part in it,” Johnson said. “I think the best thing for me was when I communicated with those guys—I think I talked to them Friday, the day before (the announcement), because I didn’t want it to get out. I told those guys on the offensive line, most of the guys I had relationships with, ‘We made it. We in there.’

Johnson admitted in the interview that during his playing career, he rarely even considered it ending with a trip to Canton. That is, until head coach Jim Caldwell called him a “Hall of Fame player” in a team meeting, alluding to Johnson’s performance during that week.

“I’m sitting there like, ‘Man, wouldn’t that be nice?’” Johnson recalled.

You can watch the entire interview here.

• Kyle Meinke of MLive dropped his first mock draft of the season, and the Lions landed a certain LSU wide receiver, but I won’t spoil which one.

• Speaking of mocks, the fellas over at The Athletic collaborated on a five-round mock for the Lions (subscription required) that starts with the unlikely scenario that Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell falls to 7.

• Justin Rogers of the Detroit News ranked the Lions' needs by position from one to 11 (subscription required). Spoiler: quarterback did not crack the top 10.

• Lions fullback Jason Cabinda will jump on the Movement for the Movement Instagram account at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday night to talk the education and economical disparities in this country. More info here:

• With the NFL Combine canceled, Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com offers a handy Pro Day schedule, which kicks off on March 5 for the University of Kansas.