| Buffalo Bills 2008 NFL Draft Grade |
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Buffalo had another solid draft in hopes of building a contender in the frozen North. They add to their good young defense with Leodis McKelvin from Troy; he will return punts from day one relieving Terrance McGee of those duties. He also will play corner opposite McGee early on and was an overall very solid selection by the Bills. I thought Chris Ellis, defensive end from Virginia Tech, was going to be selected by a team that runs the 3-4. He is a very quick pass rushing end who has the ability to stand up and play some linebacker, making the defense that much more versatile.
James Hardy, in round two, was a nice value pick. He will start opposite Lee Evans eventually and give Trent Edwards that big target every team covets. He runs good routes and has great athletic ability. I think this receiver class was highly underrated. In round four, the Bills may have found a couple of contributors, Reggie Corner and Derek Fine. Corner, a cornerback from Akron, is an undersized kid who will have trouble with bigger receivers, has the athletic ability to make it in the league. Derek Fine comes to Buffalo by way of Kansas and should fit nicely in the Bills’ offense. He's a tight end who will specialize in catching those short third down passes in dual tight end sets. He needs to improve his run blocking to see valuable playing time. For sleeper time, we go to Kentucky and Stevie Johnson. He had a breakout year as a senior playing opposite Keenan Burton. Johnson was on the receiving end of numerous big plays. If he can translate that big play ability to the NFL, then happy day for the Bills franchise. More than likely he will only make the practice squad but you never know; we shall wait and see. Round 1 (11) – Leodis McKelvin – CB – 5’11” 190 – Troy Round 2 (41) – James Hardy – WR – 6’6” 220 – Indiana Round 3 (72) – Chris Ellis – DE – 6’4” 260 – Virginia Tech Round 4 (114) – Reggie Corner – CB – 5’10” 180 – Akron Round 4 (132) – Derek Fine – TE – 6’3” 245 – Kansas Round 5 (147) – Alvin Bowen – OLB – 6’1” 223 – Iowa State Round 6 (179) – Xavier Omon – RB – 5’11” 226 – Northwest Missouri State Round 7 (219) – Demetrius Bell – OT – 6’5” 303 – Northwestern State (LA) Round 7 (224) – Steve Johnson – WR – 6’2” 210 – Kentucky Round 7 (251) – Kennard Cox – CB – 6’0” 195 – Pittsburgh Buffalo Bills – Draft Grade – B
By T. Lewis, 20Yardline.com |