The Buffalo Bills took seven defensive players and only two offensive players in last April’s NFL Draft.  The early returns are good on this bunch overall.  Here is a look at how they did as rookies in 2011:

The Bills took 22-year old DE Marcell Dareus in the 1st round of the NFL Draft last April.  He played in 16 games for the Bills last year and he had 43 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed.  Dareus really started to excel after the Bills switched him back to DT after he started the season at DE.

21-year old CB Aaron Williams came to the Bills in the 2nd round.  He played in 9 games for the Bills last year and he had 32 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception and 5 passes defensed.  Williams will likely earn his way into the starting lineup in the near future.

24-year old LB Kevin Sheppard was the Bills’ 3rd round pick last April.  He played in 16 games for the Bills last year and he had 70 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 1 pass defensed.  Sheppard will likely have his P.T. increase in 2012 as he looked pretty solid for the Bills last year.

23-year old safety Da’Norris Searcy was solid as a rookie for the Bills last year.  He was picked in the 4th round.  Searcy played in all 16 games for the Bills last year and he had 34 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception.  He was a very solid #3 safety for the Bills last year, and he could develop into a starter in the very near future.

22-year old OT Chris Hairston was also pitched in the 4th round by the Bills last year.  Hairston played in 13 games (7 starts) for the Bills last year and he could be a full time starter in the very near future.

23-year old RB Johnny White was selected in the 5th round by the Bills last April.  He played in 12 games for the Bills last year and he carried the ball 12 times for 38 yards (3.2 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for -3 yards.  White also had five tackles last year for the Bills.  White is pretty far down the Bills’ depth chart at RB.

22-year old LB Chris White came to the Bills in the 6th round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  He played in 7 games and he had 8 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.  He will likely be back on special teams for the Bills in 2012.

23-year old CB Justin Rogers was a pretty good pickup for the Bills in the 7th round last April.  Rogers played in 13 games for the Bills last year and he had 16 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 1 interception.  He also returned 13 kickoffs for 373 yards (28.7 avg) last year for the Bills.  He has a nice upside.

25-year old DT Michael Jasper came to the Bills in the 7th round.  The 6’4″, 394 pound Jasper didn’t get into any games as a rookie last year for the Bills.

GRADE FOR 2011:  B+

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE:  A

For some reason the Bills were playing 22-year old rookie DT Marcell Dareus at DE when the season began.  But at 6’3″, 340 pounds, he wasn’t helping much in the form of outside containment.  Then DT Kyle Williams got injured and the Bills decided to shift Dareus to his natural position and he has played well ever since.  Dareus has played in 13 games for the Bills so far this year and he has 35 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed.  Dareus is going to be one of the core young players in a rebuilt Bills’ D.

The Buffalo Bills’ defense really stunk last year.  So they used 7 of their 9 picks on that side of the ball in April.  The first four defensive players they took could all be starters for them in 2011.  DT Marcell Dareus came to the Bills in the first round and he was the best lineman in this draft.  He should help immediately with the Bills’ run defense.  CB Aaron Williams was projected to be long gone by the Bills’ second round pick, so they snapped him up when he was available.  Williams is a big corner who can match up with big receivers while also helping out against the run.  Inside linebacker Kelvin Sheppard gives the Bills even more pop against the running game.  Strong safety Da’Norris Searcy could also be a starter for the Bills from day #1 and he’s also a thumper against the run.  OT Chris Hairston and RB Johnny White are both physical players who should help the offense down the road.

PROJECTED GRADE:  A

The Bills took DT Michael Jasper out of Bethel with the 245th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Jasper is a mountain of a man as he stands 6’4″, 375 pounds.  He has lost 73 pounds since this past January, which shows that he’s pretty motivated.  Jasper played guard at Bethel because they needed help on the O-Line, but his future in the NFL likely lies at nose tackle.  The Bills need help stopping the run, so it doesn’t hurt to take a flier on a guy like Jasper late in the 7th round.

The Bills picked CB Justin Rogers out of Richmond with the 206th overall pick (7th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Rogers is 5’11″, 180 pounds and he runs a 4.47 40.  Rogers has good measureables but he is not much of a tackler.  He played in 11 games (all starts) for Richmond last year and he had 54 tackles, broke up 5 passes, had 2 tackles for a loss, forced 2 fumbles and he had 2 interceptions.  He played in 52 games (38 starts) in his four years with the Spiders and he had 163 tackles, broke up 28 passes, had 12 interceptions (2 returned for TDs), he had 7.5 tackles for a loss, 3 forced fumbles and he recovered a fumble that he returned for a TD.  Rogers also returned 112 kickoffs for 2,561 yards (22.9 avg) with 2 TD returns and he also returned 26 punts for 351 yards (13.5 avg) at Richmond.  Rogers is going to have to help out on special teams if he wants to make the Bills’ roster in 2011.

The Bills picked 22-year old inside linebacker Chris White out of Mississippi State with the 169th overall pick (6th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  White is 6’2″, 241 pounds and he runs a 4.75 40.  White is a high effort player but most of his tackles come downfield as he doesn’t pack a wallop with his hits.  He is a tough guy who should help the Bills as a backup linebacker and special teams standout.  White played in 13 games (all starts) for Mississippi State last year and he had 110 tackles, 15.5 tackles for a loss, 6 sacks, he broke up 1 pass and he had 2 interceptions.  White played in 25 games (all starts) in his two years with the Rebels and he had 185 tackles, 19.5 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, he broke up 4 passes and he had 2 interceptions.  This was another solid late round pick for the Bills.

The Bills picked 22-year old RB Johnny White with the 133rd overall pick (5th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  White is 5’10″, 2oo pounds and he runs a 4.5 40.  White is a pure power runner despite his size which tends to get him injured.  He also is a really good receiver and he’s a solid special teams player.  White played in 9 games (8 starts) for North Carolina last year and he carried the ball 130 times for 720 yards (5.5 ypc) with 7 TD runs.  He also caught 24 passes for 288 yards (12.0 avg) last year.  White played in 46 games (16 starts) for the Tar Heels in his four years there and he carried the ball 246 times for 1,262 yards (5.1 ypc) with 8 TD runs.  He also caught 47 passes for 510 yards (10.9 avg) with 1 TD grab in college.  This was another solid pick for the Bills as White will help them both on offense and special teams.

The Bills took 22-year old OT Chris Hairston out of Clemson with the 122nd overall pick (4th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Hairston is 6’6″, 323 pounds as he is a mountain of a man.  Hairston plays with a mean streak as he tries to drive opposing players into the dirt.  But he has huge problems with speed rushers, so he will likely need help from either a TE or a FB with them.  Hairston played in 13 games (all starts) last year and he played in 47 games (35 starts) in his four years with Clemson.  If the Bills can coach Hairston up a little, he might be able to start for them at right tackle as early as the 2011 season.

The Bills picked 22-year old strong safety Da’Norris Searcy out of North Carolina with the 100th overall pick (4th round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Searcy is 5’10″, 216 pounds and he runs a 4.6 40.  Searcy is a box safety as he packs a wallop against the running game.  Searcy is solid on plays in front of him and he is a good special teams player.  Searcy played in 10 games (9 starts) for North Carolina last year and he had 37 tackles, he broke up 4 passes and he had 4 interceptions.  He played in 47 games (24 starts) in his four years with the Tar Heels and he had 106 tackles, broke up 10 passes and he had 5 interceptions.  This was another solid pick for the Bills as they continue to rebuild the defense.

The Buffalo Bills took 23-year old inside linebacker Kelvin Sheppard out of LSU with the 68th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  Sheppard stands at 6’2″ and he weighs in at 246 pounds.  He runs a 4.7 40 as he’s a good athlete and his motor is always running.  Sheppard played in 13 games (all starts) for LSU last season and he had 116 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 2 passes broken up and he had 1 interception.  Sheppard played in 53 games (30 starts) in his four years with the Tigers and he has 311 tackles, 26 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks, 7 passes broke up and he had 2 interceptions.  The Bills needed a thumper in the middle of the field against the run, and Sheppard should fill that bill.