The Bills drafted James Hardy in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft to provide a big target for Bills’ QBs and to help stop teams from doubling up on Lee Evans.  We shall see if it will work out or not.  Evans is 5′10″, 197 pounds and he’s as fast as lightning.  Evans started all 16 games for the Bills last season and he caught 55 passes for 849 yards (15.4 avg) with 5 TD runs.  Opposing teams doubled him almost every game because the Bills didn’t have anyone else they had to worry about in the passing game.  If Hardy does a good job on the other side of the field Evans could have his best season yet.  Evans has now played in 64 games (57 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 233 passes for 3,727 yards (16.0 avg) with 29 TD grabs.  He’s also shifty on trick plays as he has carried the ball 9 times for 123 yards (13.7 ypc) in his career.

6′6″, 220 pound James Hardy gives the Bills a legitimate big target for the first time in years.  He’s not the fastest runner around but he has good hands and his size helps him win a lot of jump balls.  Hardy played in 13 games (all starts) at Indiana last season and he caught 79 passes for 1,125 yards (14.2 avg) with 16 TD grabs.  Hardy finished up his career at Indiana having played in 33 games (32 starts) in which he caught 191 passes for 2,740 yards (14.3 avg) with 36 TD grabs.  He should have a solid rookie season for the Bills.

Mighty mite Roscoe Parrish is fast but he’s too small to take a constant beating as he is only 5′9″, 171 pounds.  Parrish will likely either be the #3 or #4 WR for the Bills this season.  He played in 16 games (3 starts) for the Bills last season and he caught 35 passes for 352 yards (10.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He also carried the ball 3 times for 19 yards (6.3 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Look for Parrish’s numbers to spike a little bit this season as the Bills try to create mis-matches with his speed in the slot.  Parrish has now played in 42 games (5 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 73 passes for 820 yards (11.2 avg) with 4 TD grabs.  Parrish has also carried the ball 7 times for 35 yards (5.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.

Josh Reed is a possession receiver and he can take the punishment going over the middle as he is 5′10″, 210 pounds.  Reed has good hands but he doesn’t have good enough speed to make really big plays.  Reed played in 15 games (9 starts) for the Bills last season and he caught 51 passes for 578 yards (11.3 avg).  He also carried the ball 4 times for 10 yards (2.5 ypc).  If Reed wins the #3 WR job in training camp he could catch a lot of balls this season for the Bills.  Reed has now played in 88 games (35 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 228 passes for 2,687 yards (11.8 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  Reed has also carried the ball 14 times for 57 yards (4.1 ypc) in his NFL career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  C