For the third straight year, current UB players were shut out of the 2020 NFL draft.
Still, the Bulls had four players — two current and two former — land with NFL teams over the weekend. Three of them signed as undrafted free agents; one, former wide receiver K.J. Osborn, heard his name called in the fifth round.
Here’s a rundown on the UB players who ended up on NFL teams this weekend:
K.J. Osborn, Wide receiver (University of Miami)
Minnesota Vikings
Osborn was the only player with UB ties to hear his name called this year, when the Minnesota Vikings drafted him as the 31st pick of the 5th round.
The Ypsilanti, Michigan native redshirted his first season at UB and played two seasons for the Bulls. In his junior season, Osborn caught 53 passes for 892 yards and 7 touchdowns, earning second-team All-MAC honors. That season, Osborn was a major contributor and helped lead UB to the Dollar General Bowl in 2018.
After spending four years at UB, Osborn transferred to “The U” for his senior season. In his final season, Osborn led the Hurricanes in receiving, catching 50 passes for 547 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Osborn was also a huge special-teams contributor for both Buffalo and Miami, serving as a kick and punt returner for both programs.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Osborn helped his draft stock by running a 4.48 40-yard dash.
Evin Ksiezarczyk, Left tackle
Atlanta Falcons
Left tackle Evin Ksiezarczyk, and ‘19 UB alum, signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent after the draft.
In his junior and senior seasons at UB, Ksiezarczyk blocked for an offensive line that broke school records in rushing yards and sacks allowed. A starter since 2017, Ksiezarczyk was named second-team All-MAC as a junior and first-team All-MAC as a senior.
Ksiezarczyk paved the way for the best rushing attack in the MAC last season, helping Jaret Patterson run for a conference-leading 1,799 yards.
Ksiezarczyk was an anchor for the Bulls, starting every game of the last three seasons and providing consistency on the left side of the offensive line.
Ledarius Mack, EDGE
Chicago Bears
Edge rusher Ledarius Mack will have the opportunity to play with his older brother, and former UB All-American, Khalil, in the Windy City. The Chicago Bears signed Mack as an undrafted free agent after the draft, hoping that he can terrorize quarterbacks with his brother at the next level.
After walking on at ASA College in Miami, Mack received a scholarship offer from Buffalo as a sophomore.
In 2017, Mack redshirted his first season at Buffalo. As a redshirt junior, Mack played his first season for the Bulls contributing on special teams and recording 16 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble.
In his senior campaign, Mack led the team with 12 tackles for loss and 3 forced fumbles. Mack also recorded 8 sacks and was named All-MAC second team.
In his final game, Mack recorded a sack against Charlotte in the Bahamas Bowl, helping UB win its first bowl game in program history.
Tyler Mabry, Tight end (University of Maryland)
Seattle Seahawks
Former UB tight end Tyler Mabry signed with the Seattle Seahawks following the NFL Draft. Mabry arrived at UB in 2015 as a redshirt freshman.
Mabry started all 12 games for Buffalo during his sophomore season and caught 24 passes. He also caught his first collegiate touchdown and had a career-high 242 yards receiving.
During his junior season, Mabry had 27 receptions for 230 yards and caught 2 touchdown passes. His performance earned him a first-team All-MAC honor.
After his junior year, Mabry transferred to the University of Maryland where he played his senior season and had 155 receiving yards. Mabry also caught 3 touchdown passes for the Terrapins.
Mabry has excelled as a blocker in the run game and as a big bodied target in the passing game. He looks to continue his football career with the Hawks.
Anthony DeCicco is the assistant sports editor and can be reached at Anthony.DeCicco@ubspectrum.com and on Twitter @DeCicco42.
Anthony DeCicco is the Editor-in-Chief of The Spectrum. His words have appeared in outlets such as SLAM Magazine andSyracuse.com. In 2020, he was awarded First Prize for Sports Column Writing at the Society of Professional Journalists' Region 1 Mark of Excellence Awards. In his free time, he can be found watching ‘90s Knicks games and reading NFL Mock Drafts at 3 a.m.
