The Buffalo Bulls had a .500 record last year, missed out on the postseason and did not have a player selected in the draft. I expect all three of those things to change next April, as the Bulls are building a solid program with a lot of next-level talent and the program will contend for the MAC title this year.

I grade two Buffalo seniors as potential second-day picks: receiver Anthony Johnson and linebacker Khalil Hodge. 

Johnson, who considered entering last April’s draft, has excellent size and incredible hands. He’s a big-play wideout and a go-to guy who cannot be stopped. He’s consistently making deep receptions and presents himself as a vertical receiver.

But does Johnson have true vertical speed?

That’s a huge question and why some scouts grade him as a late-round pick. Johnson needs a big senior campaign, a solid showing at a postseason All-Star game such as the Senior Bowl and good predraft workouts to be an early-round selection. Regardless, he has next-level talent.

Hodge is a similar prospect in the sense that scouts feel he lacks next-level speed, but I disagree.

The middle linebacker shows great quickness and instincts in run defense, firing to ball carriers and bringing them down at the point of attack. I love his ability to make plays in the box and in lateral pursuit. He displays terrific speed out to the flanks, and I would expect Hodge to be one of the higher-rated inside linebackers next April.

Keep a close watch on quarterback Tyree Jackson. He’s a big pocket passer with a rocket arm and great next-level possibilities if he hashes out his fundamentals.