Chad Johnson, one of the best receivers of his era, stopped by the Detroit Lions’ training camp last week and fell in love with rookie receiver Kenny Golladay. Then bought him a box of chocolates on Twitter.

“I’m not a scout but I know my (expletive),” he tweeted. “Golladay is gone be special.”

Johnson also tweeted that Golladay has that “it” factor.

The Lions’ third-round pick impressed more than Johnson during his first week of camp. His coaches see promise, too.

“He has talent,” said Robert Prince, the Lions’ receivers coach. “He’s got height, speed, natural hand-eye coordination … the ability to make that 50-50 catch.”

Last week, on a deep fly pattern down the left side, he rose up in the end zone and snagged just that sort of coin-flip catch.

Golladay, of course, digs the attention – and the praise. But when asked about his performance so far, he said: “My goal is to make a play.”

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He kept it simple. And so should everyone else.

Which means that before he’s anointed as Calvin Johnson’s replacement, he’s got to make a catch or two in a preseason game. After all, there’s a reason he wasn’t taken until the third round.

But let’s break down the real reason Golladay is creating buzz: Lions general manager Bob Quinn.

There is hope for this third-round pick because Matt Millen didn’t select him. Millen, who would struggle identifying talent inside the Pro Football Hall of Fame, whiffed on several receivers. Though, to be fair, he isn’t the only recent general manager whose choices inspired dread.

What we’re witnessing with Golladay then is the renewal of a certain kind of faith. Look, Golladay may never be more than a situational player who bounces from franchise to franchise. But he could be a real find.

That’s based on as much as the early reviews from camp as it is Quinn’s tenure as the head man in Allen Park. Last year, the former New England Patriots executive unearthed talent beyond the first round of the draft.

So, for now, at least, he’s getting the benefit of the doubt. And he should, which means his pixie dust is shaping how we see a player like Golladay. More to the point, it’s affecting how we want to see him.

Still, that desire to believe only goes so deep. The young receiver has to show it when it matters. That could take a while.

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As Prince told me last week, “we’ve got to get him to become a better route runner.”

The 6-foot-4 Golladay thrived against mid-major competition in college despite his subpar skill as a tactician.

“He was able to get away with some things just because of his (natural) ability,” said Prince. “But at this level, everyone is a good player.”

Prince is teaching Golladay how to change direction more efficiently, also known as getting in and out of breaks. Against a slower defensive back, that extra fraction may not matter. In the NFL, it’s critical.

So is keeping your shoulder-pad at a certain level when running. For taller receivers like Golladay, the instinct is to raise them, and that can impede speed and also give away a route.

Defensive backs are trained to read a receivers’ pad level in certain moments of a route.

“When you rise up,” said Prince, “you’re giving tips to the defense that, ‘hey, I’m about to run this.’”

In the NFL, with the closing speed in the secondary, that’s almost a sure-fire pass break up or interception. Prince and the scouting staff saw Golladay’s unrefined skill on film.

But they also saw a speedy, rangy receiver with surprising ability to run after a catch – usually the purview of smaller, quicker guys – and a coaching staff at Northern Illinois that trusted him enough to run a jet sweep, a play that demands top-end speed and vision.

Prince and Golladay can’t wait to see what it looks like when the lights come on. Sunday's preseason game at Indianapolis should provide both with plenty of classroom material.

What will help Golladay, said Prince, is that the young receiver likes to study, work and ask questions.

Traits that Quinn valued as much as any of Golladay’s physical gifts. In other words, general manager saw the makings of someone who craved instruction and repetition.

Maybe that’s part of that “it” factor Johnson spotted last week in Allen Park. That innate desire to keep pushing.

It’s way too soon to tell whether Golladay becomes a productive starter or a backup who is out of the league in three years. Yet that’s almost beside the point. What matters is that Quinn and his staff identified a player who has a real chance to make a difference.

And that’s a new way of doing business.

You don’t need to be a scout to see that.

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Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @shawnwindsor.

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