Luke Owens

Who’s ready for some MACtion?? Nothing screams college football more than MAC conference games on Tuesday-Friday nights. And, with the season just around the corner, I thought I’d take a dive into one of the best QB-WR connections in the nation that you may not have heard of. I bring you to the great city of Buffalo and the connection between QB Tyree Jackson and WR Anthony Johnson.

Starting at receiver, Anthony Johnson was an absolute stud for the Bulls last season. Standing at 6 foot 2 and 207 pounds, the former JUCO receiver has climbed into the conversation amongst the best pass catchers in the 2018 draft class. Johnson had 6 games of over 140 yards receiving last season. That’s right. In half of Buffalo’s games from a season ago, Johnson went for more than 140 yards. By the end of the 2017 campaign, Johnson had racked up 76 catches for 1,356 yards and 14 touchdowns. This was even without star QB Tyree Jackson for 4 games. He also led the MAC in yards per catch with 17.8. According to Pro Football Focus College, Johnson totaled 599 deep ball receiving yards, good for fifth in the nation in that category. What I love about Johnson is his route running ability and his knack for locating balls over his shoulder. In addition to being a big-time deep threat, Johnson has excellent speed and hands which makes him efficient in traffic as well. I mean, look at how much better he makes the quarterback throwing to him.

Johnson’s ability to make whichever quarterback is throwing to him significantly better makes his NFL draft stock that much higher. Everything about Anthony Johnson screams future NFL star.

Now turning towards the quarterback position, could we see another future NFL standout?? I truly believe Tyree Jackson can be the 2019 draft version of Josh Allen. Jackson stands at a massive 6 foot 7, 245 pounds with a huge arm and is incredibly quick on his feet. In 8 games played his junior year, Jackson threw for 2,096 yards on 60% completion while adding 12 touchdowns to just 3 picks. Although Jackson is still pretty raw for a senior, his ceiling as an NFL quarterback could be worth taking a risk on in the upcoming draft. Let’s turn to the film room.

In the first clip, you’ll see the freaking missile attached to Jackson’s right arm. Big arm? Sounds a little bit like Josh Allen. What may differ from Allen is found in the second clip. Find me a 6-7 dude that runs like that. Tyree Jackson is a tank of a quarterback. Like teammate Anthony Johnson, I believe Tyree Jackson has the potential to be a stud in the NFL. However, I think Jackson has more to prove this season as he has yet to stay healthy for an entire season. The good news for Jackson is that he is just a junior and has his senior year to up his draft stock if he isn’t ranked high by the end of this season. 

The University of Buffalo isn’t exactly a breeding ground for NFL talent. However, as of late Khalil Mack certainly put them on the market. Anthony Johnson is sure to be a top-level wideout in this year’s draft, with Tyree Jackson possibly declaring this year or developing more and waiting until the 2020 draft. Oh, and by the way, Tyree Jackson’s passer rating is 136.1 when targeting Anthony Johnson. Measuring NFL talent level against competition is one of the toughest parts of being a star playing for a mid-major, and Rutgers and Temple are the only partially notable non-MAC games for Buffalo. Jackson to Johnson should be a lethal combination this season for Buffalo, setting the Bulls up to be right in the mix for an always tight MAC East. Horns up y’all, this Buffalo team is gonna be fun to watch!