Buffalo Bills - AFC East, 2008 Draft Selections & Prospects
Buffalo Bills
The Draft Was
... Fine, but hardly special. Leodis McKelvin needs to come
through from day one or else the draft will likely be a total
waste. Not enough weapons were taken for the offense and the
need picks, like Chris Ellis and Reggie Corner, are reaches.
Getting Derek Fine and Alvin Bowen in the mid-rounds should
provide some nice bulk, but the overall group is short on
sure-thing starters. Best Value Pick: James Hardy, WR Indiana. 2nd round. He
went around where he was supposed to, but it was still a nice
pickup considering his upside. Biggest Reach: Reggie Corner, CB, Akron. 4th round. A
seventh rounder taken in the fourth. Considering the Bills took
the smallish McKelvin, they should've gone with a bigger second
corner option. They Should've ... Done more to trade down in the first
round. This was a corner-heavy draft and a great one could've
been had late in the first round.
#
Pick
11
11
1st Round
Leodis McKelvin, CB Troy
He wasn't even the best defensive back on his own team last
year; Elbert Mack had the better season. McKelvin has the speed,
clocking in a 4.39 40, and he's big and strong enough to make
plenty of big hits and not be pushed around by the bigger
receivers. Not afraid to step up against the run, he's hardly a
prima donna when it comes time to get dirty. He got banged up a
bit and he needs to prove he can be consistent against the
better receivers, but everything else is there, including the
return skills, to be a starter for a long time. CFN Projection: First Round
CFN Position Rank: 3
10
41
2nd Round
James Hardy, WR Indiana
The receiver call of the draft. A total mellonhead at times in
his Indiana career, he had a variety of off-the-field issues
early in his career, and while he's supposedly a changed man,
there will always be that question mark. However, most star NFL
receivers haven't exactly been choir boys. Hardy isn't going to
blaze past anyone and will have problems when matched up against
a physical lock-down corner, but at 6-6 and 215 pounds with
tremendous leaping skills and a nose for the end zone, he could
be a killer goal line option on jump ball. More than anything
else, he made plays. There's no projecting on what his could
do, like a Limas Sweed; Hardy produced. CFN Projection: Second Round CFN
Position Rank: 2
9
72
3rd Round
Chris Ellis, DE Virginia Tech
Potentially a good No. 3 end who shines in a rotation, Ellis has
good strength against the run and nice speed. However, he has
major character issues and he'll need to be taken under the wing
of a mentor right away. He has the potential to grow into a
creative pass rusher who can fit into any system, but he'll have
to fight through what seems to be an ongoing shoulder issue and
he has to have the right attitude from day one. CFN Projection: Third Round CFN
Position Rank: 8
15
114
4th Round
Reggie Corner, CB Akron
A small, feisty corner, he has just enough speed and quickness
to make up for his 5-9, 175-pound size. He did a good job
against the better receivers and he played bigger than he
appears as his career went on. A four-year starter who picked
off seven interceptions as a senior, he always found his way to
the ball. He'll find a role somewhere in a secondary, but
there's a rock-hard ceiling on what he can become. CFN Projection: Seventh Round
CFN Position Rank: 27
33
132
4th Round
Derek Fine, TE Kansas
While he's not all that big, he's one of the better blocking
tight ends in the draft and is a decent receiver. Tough as nails
and not afraid to get dirty, he stands out in a class full of
mostly receiving TEs. However, he's only 6-2 and 250 pounds and
he isn't all that fast. He'll have to make a name for himself on
special teams to stick. CFN Projection: Seventh Round
CFN Position Rank:14
12
147
5th Round
Alvin Bowen, OLB Iowa State
"Ace" was a tremendously productive all-around playmaker for the
Cyclones for the last two seasons making 254 stops, and while he
has excellent athleticism and is a great tackler, he times
really, really slow. Like 4.89 slow. Considering he's 6-0 and
223 pounds, that's not good. He can get pushed round too much
and he needs to get a lot stronger to make a team. CFN Projection: Seventh Round to Free Agent
CFN
Position Rank: 33
13
179
6th Round
Xavier Oman, RB NW Missouri State A short, stocky back with a good base and tremendous
quickness, Oman ran for over 7,000 yards at the D-II level and
did a little of everything. He can block, catch, and run inside
well. The problem is his lack of speed. He's not going to get to
the outside on a regular basis and doesn't have special skills.
CFN Projection: Free Agent CFN
Position Rank: NR
12
219
7th Round
Demetrius Bell, OT Northwestern State
Karl Malone's son (yes, that Karl Malone) delivers (sorry about
that) well for the passing game with good quickness in a 6-5,
300-pound frame. He's not a physical enough blocker to plug in
right away and will need to be in a zone-blocking scheme to have
any chance of getting on the field in the next few years. He
needs to get bigger and stronger, but he doesn't have the room
to do it. CFN Projection: Sixth Round to Seventh Round CFN
Position Rank: 23
17
224
7th Round Steve Johnson, WR Kentucky
With nice size and just enough speed to get by, he could be a
good third or fourth receiver in a rotation. He's still
extremely raw as he's still learning the ins and outs of how to
be a receiver, but he had some big moments in big SEC games. The
upside is there to become a steal with a little bit of patience. CFN Projection: Free Agent CFN
Position Rank: 45
44
251
7th RoundKennard Cox, FS/CB Pitt
A corner turned into a safety, Cox doesn't have the bulk, at
just 5-11 and 190 pounds, and he doesn't have the speed, running
a 4.52, to be anything more than a reserve on the outside.
However, he's not afraid to get his nose dirty and is great on
special teams. If allowed time to figure out what he's doing, he
could become a valuable third safety and an emergency corner/nickelback. CFN Projection: Fifth Round to Sixth Round CFN
Position Rank: 12
