The Buffalo Bills did not have a very productive draft last April.  But, they hit a homer in the first round when they took cornerback Leodis McKelvin.  McKelvin played in all 16 games (6 starts) for the Bills last season and he made 32 tackles, defensed 5 passes and he had 2 interceptions (one that he returned for a TD).  While McKelvin will work his way into the starting lineup at cornerback full time as early as this season he was a terror on special teams as a rookie.  He returned 52 kickoffs for 1,468 yards (28.2 avg) with 1 TD return.  He also returned 2 punts for 26 yards (13.0 avg) last season.  2nd round pick (WR) James Hardy was a complete bust as a rookie.  He played in 14 games (3 starts) and he only caught 9 passes for 87 yards (9.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He also had 1 tackle for the Bills last season.  He better get his butt into gear this season or he will be buried on the Bills’ depth chart in 2009.  3rd rounder Chris Ellis (DE) didn’t show much in his rookie campaign playing in 7 games (0 starts) and compiling a whopping 3 tackles.  4th rounder (CB) Reggie Corner proved to be a decent backup as a rookie.  He played in 12 games (2 starts) for the Bills last season and he made 22 tackles and defensed 4 passes.  Fellow 4th rounder Derek Fine (TE) got a lot of playing time but he didn’t do much with it.  He played in 10 games (5 starts) last year and he caught 10 passes for 94 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Fine also made a tackle last season.  5th rounder Alvin Bowen (OLB) tore his ACL in the pre-season missing his rookie year.  Running back Xavier Omon was a 6th rounder who played in 2 games (0 starts) and he carried the ball 6 times for 5 yards (0.8 ypc).  7th rounder Demetrius Bell didn’t play as a rookie.  Fellow 7th rounder Steve Johnson (WR) showed some skill late in the season for the Bills.  He played in 11 games (1 start) as a rookie and he caught 10 passes for 102 yards (10.2 avg) with 2 TDs.  He also carried the ball 1 time for six yards and he made 3 tackles.  The Bills cut safety Kennard Cox (7th rounder) and he signed on and played in 2 games for the Jaguars.

GRADE FOR 2008:  C

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  C+