When you're a seventh-round draft pick, you had better get the attention of the coaches. Fast.

Steve Johnson caught the Buffalo Bills' eye last season and they can't stop looking at him.

He's no longer a late-round afterthought but a more self-assured second-year wide receiver

who is determined to build off the promise of his rookie season.

"I'm approaching it with the same mentality as last year," Johnson said last week after a

voluntary workout. "I was trying to make an impression every time I stepped on the field.

"Coming into this year, you're going to get a little bit of an opportunity and you've got

to make the best out of all of them. Whether it's blocking or catching a 5-yard route, you've

got to show the players and the coaches that you should be out there on the field."

Johnson certainly showed he belonged last season. He even upstaged fellow rookie wideout

and second-round pick James Hardy, who struggled throughout his first year before missing the

final two games with a knee injury.

What became evident as the season went along was Johnson benefited from his experience in a

pro-style offense at the University of Kentucky. He didn't get much playing time early, but

his opportunities increased as his polished route running and feel for reading defenses became

more evident.

While Johnson's 2008 numbers don't jump off the stat sheet (10 catches for 102 yards and

two touchdowns in 11 appearances), he did show flashes of what kind of player he can be.

The Bills expect those glimpses of potential to turn into sustained excellence.

"Steve proved last year that he belongs in this league," offensive coordinator Turk

Schonert said. "He's worked really hard this offseason, and it shows. I think he's only going

to get better from here."

Johnson appears to have picked up where he left off at the end of last season. He has

looked good this spring, making several nice catches and using his 6-foot-3, 198-pound frame

and deceptive speed to separate from defenders.

"If you guys could watch some of this tape of the past couple practices of him getting off

of the press, it's ridiculous," quarterback Trent Edwards said. "It's making some of the best

corners on our team [look bad], getting right by them. He's shifty, he moves well, he comes

out of his breaks well and I'm happy he's one of our receivers."

With Josh Reed and Roscoe Parrish absent from Thursday's voluntary workout, Johnson got

nearly every snap with the starting offense when the Bills used three wide receivers. After

practice, he spent an extra 20 minutes working on running routes with Edwards and fellow

receivers Terrell Owens and Lee Evans.

Johnson was excited when he heard the Bills had signed Owens, whose work ethic and approach

to the game have already rubbed off on the young wideout.

"Without even having to talk to him, I have learned a lot just by watching his game and how

he attacks his routes," Johnson said. "And then in the meeting room, just having little

conversations with him it's easy to see why he's one of the elite.

"But it's not only Terrell Owens. It's Lee, Josh [Reed] and Roscoe [Parrish] also helping

me with the things I need to be successful. It's a pretty cool situation."

Johnson's situation with the Bills is much better than it was a year ago when making the

team was far from a certainty. Although his place on the roster is more secure, he's not about

to allow himself to get too comfortable.

"I'm still young in the game. I still have a lot to learn about the game," Johnson said. "I

still have to have that go-get-it mentality. That approach helped me make this team, and it's

what is going to help me stay on this team."