There were high hopes for WR Bryant Johnson as a first round draft choice to the Arizona Cardinals out of Penn State in 2003.

Several unproductive years later, after being stuck behind star receivers Larry Fitzgerald and fellow 2003 draft choice Anquan Boldin, Johnson is finally getting his chance to be a number one wide receiver in the NFL.

Johnson signed his first free agent contract this off-season with the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers have been lacking a solid number one ever since Terrell Owens left after the 2003 season, ironically the same year as Johnson was drafted to the Cardinals.

Johnson has shown flashes of talent, which the 49ers have seen in their division matchups, which undoubtedly led to the free agent signing.

However, Johnson has been plagued with inconsistency, as sometimes he’s had a tendency to drop balls and his route-running remains a little sub-par. Johnson will certainly get the opportunity with the 49ers to show he has what it takes to be a star, with aging Isaac Bruce and underachieving Arnaz Battle as the only real competition he has on the depth chart.

Second year speedster Jason Hill could develop into a starter, but at this point he looks like he’s best suited to be a slot receiver. Johnson has the size (unofficially 6-3, 215) and enough speed to be a dominant force on the outside. Time will tell whether he’s able to put it all together in a new environment.

Aiding Johnson’s cause is the arrival of pass-happy, offensive mastermind Mike Martz as the newest offensive coordinator in San Francisco. Martz was responsible for The Greatest Show on Turf with the St. Louis Rams, assisting in the development and production of Bruce, fellow WR Torry Holt, RB Marshall Faulk, and QB’s Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger.

For the last two years, Martz has been the offensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions and helped QB Jon Kitna and WR’s Roy Williams and Mike Furrey become statistical monsters. What he can do for San Francisco’s recently stagnant offense has left many people curious, particularly in the fantasy world.

So where does all of this leave Bryant Johnson? He has boom or bust written all over him. Johnson very well could fall out of favor with Martz, drop too many balls, or struggle to learn the speedy, field-stretching routes that Martz likes to run and fall into fantasy oblivion.

However, I’m betting that Johnson will turn into that number one receiver that San Francisco so badly needs. With a little consistency at the quarterback position and with the implementation of Martz’s pass-happy system, I think Johnson is poised for a breakout year. 1,200 yards and 8-10 touchdowns is not too much to hope for, and is what I’m predicting for him in 2008.

He should be one of the top fifteen receivers in this draft. I try never to underestimate the power of a statistically productive system, and Johnson appears to have all the talent he needs to thrive in this one.