Lions president Matt Millen said selecting Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson with the second overall pick in the NFL draft ultimately was an easy decision. And now that Johnson is heading to Detroit, he’s going to stay here.

“If any of you think: 'Are we going to use this now and leverage it?' And the answer is no. Calvin Johnson is staying right here in Detroit,” Millen said today at the team’s Allen Park headquarters.

“Calvin Johnson is on a team with the rest of this offense and turn it into one of the most dynamic offenses in the league. I firmly believe that. You can scoff at it if you like. I really don’t care because I think it’s going to happen.

Millen, coach Rod Marinelli and offensive coordinator Mike Martz all emphasized how much they liked Johnson’s character, from the way he watched practice, cared about the game and didn’t speak selfishly about himself.

“I don’t think it can be overstated about his ability and his character,” Martz said. “When great character meets great ability like that nothing but good things can happen.”

Martz said he expected Johnson to line up as the Z receiver on the strong side of the formation opposite Roy Williams. Martz also made no bones about his excitement how much he likes Johnson. When asked if Johnson was the best receiver he had ever seen coming out of college

“I think he’s the best that I have ever seen, yes,” Martz said. “Now that doesn’t mean that that’s the way it works out. I just think it’s such a great start for him. He has the same qualities that the great ones that have come out have and I think he’s got a little bit of an edge in some other areas as well; the quickness for instance. He’s such a mature young man.”

Johnson is considered the surest thing in the draft as a 239-pound receiver with plenty of size at 6-feet-5 and plenty of speed (he can run a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash).

In 2006, he was the ACC player of the year and the Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s top college receiver. He started all 14 games for the Yellow Jackets and caught 76 passes for 1,202 yards and 15 touchdowns.

In a TV interview with ESPN, Johnson said, "I'm just excited about going to Detroit. You got to put your mind on what you want to do and go out there and achieve the goals that you set. Nothing but hard work got me here. I think you gain everyone's respect when you are the first one on the field and the last one off."

JaMarcus Russell, the big-play quarterback from LSU, was the first pick as the Oakland Raiders pulled no surprises.

The 6-foot-6 junior comes off an impressive season and a superb Sugar Bowl that helped catapult him to the top spot. And with the Raiders coming off a 2-14 year in which they had the league’s worst offense, he easily could be the starter on opening day.

That left Cleveland to select Joe Thomas, the left tackle from Wisconsin who spent the morning fishing back home rather than attend the draft, as the No. 3 pick.

Associated Press contributed to this report.