The Bills drafted WR James Hardy in the 2nd round out of Indiana.  Hardy has nice size at 6′6″, 215 pounds but he’s not a burner running a 4.6 40.  Hardy played in 33 games (32 starts) in three seasons at Indiana and he caught 191 passes for 2,740 yards (14.4 avg) with 36 TD receptions (#1 in Indiana history).  The Bills have been looking for a receiver to take some of the heat off Lee Evans and they might have his man in Hardy.  Remember, Hardy was often playing against solid defenses in the Big Ten without the benefit of good QB play.  This was a need pick for the Bills and it will be interesting to see how he pans out.

The Buffalo Bills grabbed cornerback/return specialist Leodis McKelvin of Troy with their first round pick.  McKelvin is a little bit on the small side at 5′10″, 190 pounds but he’s very fast as he runs a 4.4 40.  McKelvin was a very productive corner in college and he projects into a starter.  He played in 48 games (36 starts) at Troy and he made 173 tackles, broke up 27 passes, intercepted 4 passes, forced 5 fumbles and he recovered 2 fumbles.  McKelvin also returned 99 kickoffs for 2,346 yards (23.7 avg) with 1 TD.  McKelvin is a dominating punt return man however.  He returned 112 punts in his college career for 1,471 yards (13.1 avg) with 7 TD returns.  He will likely be the starting punt returner from Day #1 for the Bills.  This was a excellent pick for the Bills.

Retiring GM Marv Levy did an outstanding job last April for the Bills as he gave them three cornerstones for the Bills future.  First round pick Marshawn Lynch had an outstanding rookie season.  He played in 13 games (all starts) for the Bills last season and he carried the ball 280 times for 1,115 yards (4.0 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He also caught 18 passes for 184 yards (10.2 avg).  Lynch completed his only pass attempt for an 8 yard TD….proving that he can do anything.  2nd round pick Paul Posluszny was having an impressive rookie season before he broke his arm ending his season.  Posluszny only played in 3 games (all starts) for the Bills last season and he had 26 tackles.  The future is bright for this tackling machine.  3rd rounder Trent Edwards is the starting QB of the future for the Bills and it started last season.  Edwards played in 10 games (9 starts) for the Bills last season and he completed 151 of 269 passes (56.1%) for 1,630 yards with 7 TD passes and 8 interceptions (70.4 QB Rating).  Edwards also carried the ball 14 times for 49 yards (3.5 ypc).  RB Dwayne Wright didn’t live up to the expectations that the Bills’ had for him.  Wright played in 14 games (0 starts) for the Bills last season and he carried the ball 29 times for 94 yards (3.2 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 17 yards (5.7 avg).  Safety John Wendling was the 6th round pick of the Bills and he was mostly a special teams player.  Wendling played in 14 games (0 starts) last season and he made 10 tackles.  FB/TE Derek Schouman played in 3 games (1 start) for the Bills last season before his season ended on the I.R. list.  Schouman didn’t get any yards last season as he never got to touch the football.  DE C.J. Ah You was the Bills’ other 7th round pick and he was cut in the pre-season.

GRADE FOR THE 2007 SEASON:  A-

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A

The NFL has suspended linebacker Mario Haggan for 4 games for violating the league’s banned substance policy.  Haggan played in all 16 games for the Bills last season and he made 20 tackles and had 1 sack.  Haggan has now played in 65 games in his NFL career and he has made 79 tackles, has 1 sack and he has forced 2 fumbles.  This will hurt the linebackers’ standing with the Bills.

The Bills have signed TE Courtney Anderson to a 2-year contract.  Anderson is a 6′6″, 270 pound mountain of a man at the TE position.  He played in 4 games for the Falcons & Lions last season but he didn’t catch any passes.  He has now played in 43 games (28 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 62 passes for 763 yards (12.3 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  This was a nice minor gamble for the Bills to take as Anderson has been a starter in the league.