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1. (11). Leodis McKelvin CB Troy
The Buffalo Bills were the first team to go cornerback in the 2008 NFL Draft, and they went with the speedy corner from Troy. Last year, the Bills ranked 30th in Pass Defense, and obviously felt that a large part of that was due to less then spectacular coverage. What the Bills got was a pure corner who excels in coverage. McKelvin has good size and great speed for a cornerback. Combine that with his instincts to make plays, and you’ve got yourself a good pick. What makes this interesting, however, is the change in direction of Buffalo in defensive philosophy from years past. If we looked at how Buffalo was successful in pass defense over the past few years, we saw they did it by having tough physical corners (Antoine Winfield, and Nate Clements) who weren’t afraid to make tackles and be physical. That is not McKelvin’s game; he is very much a finesse player, who would rather turn and run with a guy then bump him at the line. That’s not a knock on him, as much as it is just a difference in playing style. One thing that the Bills will want to see McKelvin work on is his ball skills. He can get his hands on tons of passes, but the problem is that he doesn’t intercept them. So while defended passes are a good thing, Buffalo will want him to create turnovers. Aside from McKelvin’s cornerback ability, he also is an incredible return man who has speed, vision, and acceleration to be a threat on every return. Buffalo is already very solid at the return game; what McKelvin does is provide them with a guy who can do both KR and PR, and provides them with the option to do a reverse on a return, or to give McGee a KR off to rest. Overall, I had McKelvin as the #2 CB on my board behind Dominique Rodgers-Croamartie, and while I liked DRC better because of his size and speed, McKelvin plays an extremely similar game, and has a return element that DRC does not. The jump will be a big one for McKelvin into the NFL, but he should be a starter for the Bills.
Grade: B+
2 (41). James Hardy WR Indiana
In the second round, Buffalo knew it had to get some weapons for Trent Edwards to work with besides just Lee Evans. Ideally, that weapon would be tall, athletic, and draw attention. Enter 6’5 James Hardy, who runs the 40 in 4.51 seconds. Hardy has great athleticism and size for a WR, and really has a good solid frame to be a #1 WR in this league. Hardy has a knack for making the big acrobatic catch when needed, and was relied on heavily at Indiana, as he was their only real option. What Hardy brings to the Bills is a consistent weapon who has unlimited potential. However, don’t expect for Hardy to come in from Day 1 and be a dominant WR. He is still very raw, and needs to really refine his game. Also, the scouting report on Hardy says that if you can get in his face and be physical with him, he will struggle. Another thing Hardy must work on is a focus; at Indiana when he wasn’t getting the ball or the offense was struggling, he would get lazy and not run crisp routes. In college, his athletic ability made up for that, but in the pros, a lazy slant route will get the QB picked off, and he must be at his best at all times. Overall, James Hardy is exactly what Buffalo needed out of this draft WR wise. He’s a big target, who will work the whole field, and can go deep if needed. He has good speed, and the ability get the ball at its highest point. The character concerns that existed with Hardy prior to the draft seem to be alleviated, and Hardy has since matured.
Grade: A
3 (72). Chris Ellis DE Virginia Tech
Another reason for Buffalo’s poor pass defense this past season was a real lack of any kind of a pass rush. Anytime you have pro bowl DE Aaron Schobel held to only 6.5 sacks, you know your pass rush really suffered. So in Round 3, Buffalo decided to try and upgrade their pass rush by adding the athletic VT defensive end, Chris Ellis. Ellis is a high motor player with above average athleticism, who gets to the QB and wreaks havoc in the backfield, and was extremely productive in college. Ellis finished his college career with 22 sacks and 35.5 Tackles for loss. So the evidence is quite clear that Ellis was a good DE at Virginia Tech, but a problem still exists. Buffalo already has two defensive ends on the roster who are good pass rushers in Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay, and last year neither player end was extremely effective against the run. Ellis does not excel against the run, and there are concerns about how much of his production was based on athleticism, and how much was based on skills. Ellis must learn to develop some pass rush moves to get past NFL caliber OT’s, who will be able to neutralize his athleticism. He also needs to get stronger at the point of attack, and play with better leverage. Overall, Ellis should be a good situational pass rusher who could be a spot starter.
Grade: B-
The Buffalo Bills were the first team to go cornerback in the 2008 NFL Draft, and they went with the speedy corner from Troy. Last year, the Bills ranked 30th in Pass Defense, and obviously felt that a large part of that was due to less then spectacular coverage. What the Bills got was a pure corner who excels in coverage. McKelvin has good size and great speed for a cornerback. Combine that with his instincts to make plays, and you’ve got yourself a good pick. What makes this interesting, however, is the change in direction of Buffalo in defensive philosophy from years past. If we looked at how Buffalo was successful in pass defense over the past few years, we saw they did it by having tough physical corners (Antoine Winfield, and Nate Clements) who weren’t afraid to make tackles and be physical. That is not McKelvin’s game; he is very much a finesse player, who would rather turn and run with a guy then bump him at the line. That’s not a knock on him, as much as it is just a difference in playing style. One thing that the Bills will want to see McKelvin work on is his ball skills. He can get his hands on tons of passes, but the problem is that he doesn’t intercept them. So while defended passes are a good thing, Buffalo will want him to create turnovers. Aside from McKelvin’s cornerback ability, he also is an incredible return man who has speed, vision, and acceleration to be a threat on every return. Buffalo is already very solid at the return game; what McKelvin does is provide them with a guy who can do both KR and PR, and provides them with the option to do a reverse on a return, or to give McGee a KR off to rest. Overall, I had McKelvin as the #2 CB on my board behind Dominique Rodgers-Croamartie, and while I liked DRC better because of his size and speed, McKelvin plays an extremely similar game, and has a return element that DRC does not. The jump will be a big one for McKelvin into the NFL, but he should be a starter for the Bills.
Grade: B+
2 (41). James Hardy WR Indiana
In the second round, Buffalo knew it had to get some weapons for Trent Edwards to work with besides just Lee Evans. Ideally, that weapon would be tall, athletic, and draw attention. Enter 6’5 James Hardy, who runs the 40 in 4.51 seconds. Hardy has great athleticism and size for a WR, and really has a good solid frame to be a #1 WR in this league. Hardy has a knack for making the big acrobatic catch when needed, and was relied on heavily at Indiana, as he was their only real option. What Hardy brings to the Bills is a consistent weapon who has unlimited potential. However, don’t expect for Hardy to come in from Day 1 and be a dominant WR. He is still very raw, and needs to really refine his game. Also, the scouting report on Hardy says that if you can get in his face and be physical with him, he will struggle. Another thing Hardy must work on is a focus; at Indiana when he wasn’t getting the ball or the offense was struggling, he would get lazy and not run crisp routes. In college, his athletic ability made up for that, but in the pros, a lazy slant route will get the QB picked off, and he must be at his best at all times. Overall, James Hardy is exactly what Buffalo needed out of this draft WR wise. He’s a big target, who will work the whole field, and can go deep if needed. He has good speed, and the ability get the ball at its highest point. The character concerns that existed with Hardy prior to the draft seem to be alleviated, and Hardy has since matured.
Grade: A
3 (72). Chris Ellis DE Virginia Tech
Another reason for Buffalo’s poor pass defense this past season was a real lack of any kind of a pass rush. Anytime you have pro bowl DE Aaron Schobel held to only 6.5 sacks, you know your pass rush really suffered. So in Round 3, Buffalo decided to try and upgrade their pass rush by adding the athletic VT defensive end, Chris Ellis. Ellis is a high motor player with above average athleticism, who gets to the QB and wreaks havoc in the backfield, and was extremely productive in college. Ellis finished his college career with 22 sacks and 35.5 Tackles for loss. So the evidence is quite clear that Ellis was a good DE at Virginia Tech, but a problem still exists. Buffalo already has two defensive ends on the roster who are good pass rushers in Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay, and last year neither player end was extremely effective against the run. Ellis does not excel against the run, and there are concerns about how much of his production was based on athleticism, and how much was based on skills. Ellis must learn to develop some pass rush moves to get past NFL caliber OT’s, who will be able to neutralize his athleticism. He also needs to get stronger at the point of attack, and play with better leverage. Overall, Ellis should be a good situational pass rusher who could be a spot starter.
Grade: B-
NE
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