How Does DK Metcalf Stack Up to NFL's All-Time Great Receivers so Far?

DK Metcalf has developed into one of the NFL's best wide receivers this season. With the way his career is unfolding, he has a chance to become one of the all-time greats.

The Seattle Seahawks star hauled in 10 catches for a career-high 177 yards in his team's Monday Night Football win over the Philadelphia Eagles. The stellar performance moved Metcalf into first place in the NFL with 1,039 receiving yards, putting him 18 yards ahead of Kansas City Chiefs speedster Tyreek Hill.

Metcalf credited the big night to Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, claiming that the former Detroit Lions head coach fired him up by saying he wasn't as good as Calvin Johnson yet. The 22-year-old receiver took to Twitter after the game to let everyone know how he felt.

Even though Metcalf hasn't played enough games to belong in the conversation with some of the all-time greats, the way he's pacing through 27 career games suggests he could get there one day.

Coming out of Ole Miss, Metcalf was widely considered one of the riskiest prospects in the 2019 NFL draft. Despite testing well almost entirely across the board, his three-cone drill and 20-yard shuttle times were historically bad for a wide receiver, which scared away a number of NFL teams. 

Eight wide receivers were drafted ahead of Metcalf before the Seahawks took him with the 64th overall selection.

It didn't take long for Metcalf to find his footing as a rookie, catching 58 passes for 900 yards and seven touchdowns. With five games left to play in his second season, he has already recorded 116 catches, 1,939 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career. 

Some of the NFL's all-time greats didn't match those numbers in their first two seasons. Metcalf is outpacing Megatron in catches (101), receiving yards (1,727) and touchdowns (12) through his first 27 career games.

It's worth noting that Johnson didn't have Matthew Stafford throwing him passes until his third NFL season, but playing with Russell Wilson shouldn't diminish Metcalf's production. 

Metcalf's current pace of 84 receptions, 1,511 yards and 13 touchdowns would give him one of the best sophomore seasons in NFL history.

Player	Year	Rec	Yds	TD
Isaac Bruce	1995	119	1781	13
Jerry Rice	1986	86	1570	15
DK Metcalf (Pace)	2020	84	1511	13
Odell Beckham Jr.	2015	96	1450	13
Sterling Sharpe	1989	90	1423	12
Randy Moss	1999	80	1413	11
Larry Fitzgerald	2005	103	1409	10
Allen Robinson II	2015	80	1400	14

Regardless of how he finishes his sophomore campaign, Metcalf has gotten off to an amazing start. According to ESPN's Twitter account, Metcalf has posted more receiving yards and touchdowns than Julio Jones, Megatron and Terrell Owens did through 11 games of their respective second seasons.

While he may not have the lateral agility of other top-tier wide receivers, Metcalf stands out on film because of his physically imposing 6'4", 229-pound stature and his dangerous top-end speed to make plays deep downfield. 

Metcalf is such a downfield threat that he dominates the yards per reception category. His career average of 16.7 yards per reception outpaces Johnson (15.9), Randy Moss (15.6), Jones (15.2) and Owens (14.8).

Metcalf is turning only 23 years old in mid-December, which suggests he has yet to reach his full potential. He also has an all-time great quarterback in Wilson throwing the ball to him for the foreseeable future. That gives Metcalf an edge compared to other Hall of Famers who had to make do without elite quarterbacks. 

Staying healthy may be Metcalf's biggest hurdle to clear to finish his career as an all-time great receiver. Although he has yet to miss a game in the NFL, Metcalf did suffer a season-ending neck injury that ended his college career earlier than anticipated. 

Metcalf has taken the NFL by storm in 2020, and as long as he stays healthy, the future should only get brighter for the Seahawks star wideout.