DraftBoy's Draft Review

by Matt Elder

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-

4 (114). Reggie Corner CB Akron
That general “huh?” sound you heard from Bills fans was shared by this draftnik this past weekend, after the Bills took Reggie Corner with their first pick in Round 4. Not only did some fans not consider CB to be a huge need, grabbing two of them in their first 4 picks had to have some almost in tears. Now generally, I thought that we needed to improve our CB’s, and I think McKelvin does that. However, can the MAC ball hawk produce the same way on the next level? Corner has experience as a four year starter with Akron. He also has production with 15 picks over 4 years, including 7 in his senior season. But at 5’9, 180 pounds, he is at a disadvantage in the NFL. Buffalo has been successful in the past taking small unheralded CB prospects from small schools (Terrance McGee), but can they strike lightning twice with Corner? I'm not so sure of that, and there were better options out there at many positions of need. In my opinion, not only was Corner not the best player available, I don’t think he was even the best cornerback available. Time will tell, but early indications are that Buffalo badly reached here.

Grade: D

4 (132). Derek Fine TE Kansas
Buffalo had a glaring need for an athletic pass catching TE, and after the 132nd pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills still have a glaring need for an athletic pass catching TE. Fine is an adequate pass catching TE, but he is not very athletic, and he’s not very good. Fine is an older player, having played 5 years of college ball, and was semi productive in a good Kansas offense this past season. His best game came against FIU, and in big time games he was basically non-existent. Fine needs to work on route running, athleticism, and blocking just to see the field next season. I don’t understand this pick from the Bills' perspective, and with players like Joey Haynos and Kellen Davis still on the board, I don’t see why they reach for Fine here. Whatever their reason, they now have added another TE who many would consider to be mediocre.

Grade: D-

5 (147). Alvin Bowen LB Iowa State
Bowen is a very athletic LB from Iowa State. Hhe was a tackling machine there, but he has some serious size issues. Some scouts had him dropping some weight and becoming an NFL safety; some wanted him to really bulk up, and not lose much speed. Buffalo has to be hoping he’s the next Cato June rather than Keith Ellison. While the Cover 2 relies much more heavily on speed then on size, Bowen’s size cannot just be overlooked. Bowen, however, does work well in coverage, has a non stop motor, and can deliver a big hit when necessary. Again, another player who Buffalo could of gotten later in the draft, and one who was not the BPA or the best Linebacker available. One can only hope that Bowen will become a ST ace and evolve into a serviceable Cover 2 LB.

Grade: D+

6 (179). Xavier Oman RB Northwest Missouri State
Last year in Round 4, Buffalo took RB Dwayne Wright out of Fresno State, and many though it would be a solid short yardage back for them. Unfortunately, last season Wright struggled mightily, and was beat out for the backup role by former UDFA Fred Jackson. So that begs the question, why did we take a RB this year? Well, while it may have been a slight luxury pick, we still don’t have a short yardage back. Jackson is a good spot starter and backup, but he’s not a short yardage back, and Oman can be that. At Northwest Missouri State, he pretty much single handedly lead them to the DII title game vs. Valdosta State. Oman is not a fast runner, and he doesn’t have much wiggle, but he knows only two directions, North and South. He never stops his legs, and tends to fall forward for the extra yard or two.

Grade: C+

7 (219). Demetrius Bell OT Northwestern State
The son of former NBA great Karl Malong, Bell only has three years experience playing organized football. He is a big kid with a frame to get even bigger, a great natural athlete. with quickness and agility. However, Bell only has three total years of organized football experience, and now is stepping into the NFL. He needs to work very closely with coaches over the next few months to really develop his entire game. Bell has good size and good potential if he can put it all together. He embodies what teams are supposed to do with 7th Round picks.

Grade: B+

7 (224). Steve Johnson WR Kentucky
One of the biggest, yet most unheralded, reasons as to why the Kentucky Wildcats were so effective last season is WR Steve Johnson. Johnson is a strong 6’1, 210 pounds, who excelled at making plays while at Kentucky. We all remember the catch he had v. LSU last season to win the game. Not only that, but Johnson shows a drive to go and get the ball that many young WR’s do not show so early in their careers. Johnson, however, is still extremely raw; he only has two years of DI football under his belt, and only one real year of production. He needs to work on his route running, consistency, and technique to become one of the top three WR’s on a team, but if he does, watch out. This guy could be a real steal this late in the draft.

Grade: A-

7 (251). Kennard Cox CB Pittsburgh
Kennard Cox is a definite project pick for Buffalo, and one pick away from being Mr. Irrelevant. He has good size a 6’0, 195 pounds, but really hasn’t done much in his career to distinguish himself. Cox is thought of a potential CB/S tweener, due to his size and good tackling ability. His older brother Torrie Cox was a standout at Pitt as a CB, and now plays for the Tampa Bay Bucs. While Kennard did not distinguish himself in the same way, he does have good lineage. Some fans are going to be asking, do we really need a 3rd CB? The answer is no, not really, but if they are planning on making him a FS or SS, then this pick makes more sense. 7th Round is the time to take small school guys and projects. That’s exactly what Cox is.

Grade: C+

Overall, the Buffalo Bills went into the 2008 NFL draft with very clear needs to fill, and they didn’t fill them all. In fact, they failed to fill maybe two of the most vital. They did get their WR, CB, and DE that they have been lacking. How well will these guys turn out? Nobody can tell you for sure, but based on the Bills' drafting in Rounds 4 and 5, you really have to wonder what they were thinking. There were some major reaches in that round that probably could have been had in Round 7 or as UDFA.

Overall Grade: C