Morton was a spectator for most of his rookie season. He played 14 games, without a start, and caught only three passes. One was for a touchdown. He also returned four kickoffs, with one of them going 93 yards for a touchdown.
Seven touches for the season – three catches, four kickoff returns – was not what he was accustomed to, or expecting.
"It was probably the most frustrating football year of my life," he said. "I was coming off a really great year (at Southern Cal). I wanted to come in and make a huge splash in Detroit."
Morton said he talked to Chuck Schmidt, then the Lions' chief operating officer, about the possibility of being traded.
A trade did not come close to happening, and Morton got some encouraging words from the late Ron Hughes, the Lions' long-time head of player personnel.
"He came up to me one day at my locker," Morton said. "He was a straight up guy. He'd just give you the straight truth. That's it, whether you liked it or not.
"He told me, 'You're going to play a lot. Just be patient. I promise you, we wouldn't have drafted you if we didn't have big plans for you.'"
Hughes' words proved true.
Starting with the 1995 season, Morton was a key member of a dynamic, productive offense with Herman Moore and Barry Sanders as the stars. Morton played all 16 games in his last seven seasons with the Lions with 104 starts.
He went from eight targets, three catches and 39 receiving yards and one receiving TD in 1994 to 80 targets, 44 catches, 590 receiving yards and eight receiving TDs in 1995.
Morton's role continued to expand. He jumped to 55 catches and 714 yards in 1996. He went over the 1,000-yard receiving mark four times in his last five seasons in Detroit, from 1997-2001.
Morton was part of a special offense in the 1997 season.
Sanders rushed for 2,053 yards. Moore led the NFL in receptions for the second time in three seasons with 104 catches. And both Moore (1,293) and Morton (1,057) went over the 1,000-yard receiving mark.
Of the seven teams that have had a 2,000-yard rusher, the Lions are the only one with two 1,000-yard receivers in that season. The 2008 Broncos are the only other team with one (Brandon Marshall, 1,265).
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Where are they now: Johnnie Morton - detroitlions.com
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