After a tantalizing rookie year, Green, 24, has established himself as one of the league’s superlative receivers this season, a 6-foot-4 vulture with no discernible weakness, as dangerous in the flat as he is across the middle as he is downfield. Heading into the Bengals’ (9-6) season finale Sunday against Baltimore, Green ranks seventh in the N.F.L. in receptions (95), fifth in yards (1,324) and tied for third in touchdown catches (11).

A few teammates, unprompted, predicted in interviews that he would surpass Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yardage record (currently 1,892 and counting); inspired by Johnson’s nickname of Megatron, defensive end Carlos Dunlap is considering calling him Bumblebee, another character from the Transformers franchise, if it would direct more attention his way. The Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin cited Green’s grace, polish and versatility and characterized him as “the best all-around receiver in the National Football League — period.”

“A guy like A. J. Green, when he popped out of his mom and the doctor tried to spank him, he caught the doctor’s hand,” Irvin said in a telephone interview. “He said: ‘Oh, I’m supposed to let you hit me? I’m sorry. I just naturally catch everything.’ A. J. Green has been a bad man from Day 1. This guy was born to play the position.”

Green said he was humbled by the superlatives, dismissing comparisons to Randy Moss or Larry Fitzgerald as “an honor but definitely weird” while describing himself as “just a country boy from South Carolina.” That is, if country boys honed their hand-eye coordination through juggling, could dunk by seventh grade and had arms longer than a French documentary.

“There are guys around the league who do certain things well,” said Bengals safety Chris Crocker, in his 10th N.F.L. season. “Mike Wallace can run by you, but he’s not the best route runner. Some guys are great after the catch, like Steve Smith. But A. J. does everything good. He can do it all.”