buffan4life Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 Round Pick Player Position School Grade/ Note 1 11 (11) Leodis McKelvin CB Troy University C; 4 Int, 2FF 1FR; IR2009 2 10 (41) James Hardy WR Indiana F; GW catch vs. jags- Balt camp 3 9 (72) Chris Ellis DE Virginia Tech F; 13 tkl, 1sack; cut2010- Pit 4 15 (114) Reggie Corner DB Akron B+; 18pdef, 1 int, 114 tkl, slot cb 4* 33 (132) Derek Fine TE Kansas F; IR 4ever, cut- Texans 5 12 (147) Alvin Bowen OLB Iowa State F; IR knee injury, cut- Jags 6 13 (179) Xavier Omon RB NW Missouri St F; 49ers camp 7 12 (219) Demetrius Bell T NW State (La) B+; starting LT, improving 7 17 (224) Steve Johnson WR Kentucky A+; 12TDs, 1082 yds 2010 7* 44 (251) Kennard Cox DB Pittsburgh D; Sea SPteams * - Compensatory pick Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/2008/draft/teams/bills.html#ixzz1L9T2hybN Overall grade C-. Missing on the 2nd & 3rd rounders is terrible, just like playoff chances since they were acquired. These players need to be core contributors, they have been jettisoned. Finding a starting(on this team) LT and the breakout season for Stevie huge for 7th round finds. McKelvin is still inexperienced or he is just lacking brainpower, as he hasn’t figured out how turn athletic potential into playmaking ability. Corner is a good find in the 4th round. I think he’s our best slot corner. Overall 3 starters on a 4-12 team is a weak draft. Injuries essentially derailed this class’s potential.
truth on hold Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 (edited) Hardy was a flavor of the month pick when the league and many on this board were clamoring for a tall wr in the wake of plaxico's super bowl winning Td grab.Steelers got sweed and panthers got jarrett on the same rationale. Really none of them has worked out. Edited May 2, 2011 by Joe_the_6_pack
BADOLBILZ Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 I give the 7th Rd an "A+" Yeah I think that draft looks better if you flip it upside down.
Captain Hindsight Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 A C- and i feel like thats really generous McKelvin is an adequate starter, Stevie and Bell have been nice. Ellis has more sacks than Maybin (1) and Corner has been a good nickel back
eball Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 Three starters out of ten picks. I don't care where they were drafted. Is that better, worse, or equal to the league average?
Captain Hindsight Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 Three starters out of ten picks. I don't care where they were drafted. Is that better, worse, or equal to the league average? If we had any production out of rounds 2 and 3 we would be in a much better situation today. Those guys are out of the league.Inexcusable
Wilson's Ears Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 Three starters out of ten picks. I don't care where they were drafted. Is that better, worse, or equal to the league average? More like two out of ten... Doubt Bell would be starting on many other squads
Bangarang Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 I give the 7th Rd an "A+" Hardly for me. The jury is still out on Stevie and Bell is a pretty average (at best) for a starting LT in the NFL.
DanInUticaTampa Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 Hardly for me. The jury is still out on Stevie and Bell is a pretty average (at best) for a starting LT in the NFL. An average LT in round 7 is still pretty good. And a 7th round WR having a 10 TD season looks pretty damn good too. If our 7th round is just as good this year, we might actually have a team soon.
BillsVet Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 (edited) Look on the bright side, Donahoe pulled starters from the 7th round. That clearly makes up for the busting on Hardy, Ellis, and underwhelming production from McKelvin. I think it's worth noting that Russ Smithers-Brandon was the GM during this draft. An individual thrown into a role by the owner who was completely untrained to lead a NFL franchise in acquiring personnel to rebuild this club. Not all Smithers' fault, but clearly another bad decision by the owner not to find a football man to lead football operations. Edited May 2, 2011 by BillsVet
dpberr Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 I give it a C based largely on Steve Johnson. I'm not impressed by McKelvin or Bell. Bell's contributions keep it from a D. Hated the James Hardy pick the second it was read. Thought Alvin Bowen had promise and the Bills gave up too early on him, waiving him almost immediately after he got injured.
Cash Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 I'll go pick-by-pick: McKelvin - C-. 22 starts in 3 years in not what you're looking for when you draft a CB this high. And he's shown flashes, but hasn't played consistently well either as a starter or a nickel back. Was awesome as a return man 1 year, then horrible last year. Can still turn it around and improve this grade, but right now, it's closer to a D than a C. Remember, he was the first CB drafted that year, and #11 overall. If that guy doesn't become a solid starter for you, he's a bust. Hardy - F. Not much to say here. Chris Ellis - F. Everyone who was riding on the Alex Carrington bandwagon before we drafted Dareus needs to remember that people were equally confident about Ellis after an almost equally non-productive rookie season. Doesn't mean Carrington will bust, too, but sometimes people let their optimism run a little wild. Corner - B-. Has been a pretty solid contributor, but entering year 4, he's not a starter and looks like he never will be. Good, not great, pick. Fine - F. 2 years, 18 games played, 11 starts, 19 catches, 1 TD, now out of football. Was panned by the experts as a major reach at the time, and they were right. The Bills claimed that they loved him because (unlike most of the TEs in that draft) he could both block and catch. Turns out he couldn't do either. Small, slow, and old (25 years old as a rookie) is not a good recipe in the NFL. Bowen - D. Never did anything, but it's not the Bills' fault that he got hurt, and maybe he might have made the team if he didn't get hurt. Omon - F. Even in preseason, the guy looked terrible. Bell - B. Toughest grade for me. He's been our starter at LT for the last 2 years, but mostly just by default. He certainly hasn't been a *good* starter at the position, and he hasn't been able to stay healthy, either. Still, he belongs in the NFL (I think), at least as a backup, and given how raw he was when drafted, he's still got time to become a good starter for a number of years. If a 7th-rounder is still on the team 3 years later, that's automatically a good pick, the question is just how good. Johnson - A+. This is one of the extremely rare 7th-rounders that 1.) I had heard of before the draft, 2.) I specifically thought would/could be successful for us, and 3.) actually was successful for us. So glad he finally got the opportunity this year. Cox - D. Didn't make the team, but has stuck in the NFL as a deep backup, so doesn't get an F.
fitzisourman Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 D the bills got lucky with steve johnson (possible 1 yr wonder)
Haven Moses Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 Being a "starter" on a 4-12 team doesn't make them very good.
Thoner7 Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 (edited) the very high pick of McKelvin isnt a starter unless someone is injured, Hardy was cut in 2 years and is now out of the league completely. Ellis never played in a game. Reggie Corner is OK, D Bell is OK - maybe good, and SJ is good. No other players are worth noting. When your last two picks in a draft are by far and away your best players from that class, thats a terrible draft. F or D is the grade depending on how much you like SJ and D Bell. Edited May 2, 2011 by Thoner7
Billsguy Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 I give the 7th Rd an "A+" Overall, this draft was terrible. Yes, Johnson was a pleasant surprise, but that was clearly the exception to an otherwise horrible draft class.
Turbosrrgood Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 Overall, this draft was terrible. Yes, Johnson was a pleasant surprise, but that was clearly the exception to an otherwise horrible draft class. Yikes, looking back at all those names is scary. Completely and horribly blew the early rounds (although so far ALL of those receivers look like busts), with some redemption later on. I didn't like McKelvin before the draft, I like him even less now. He's just simply not that good. Corner is ok considering where he was drafted. SJ obviously worked out. It really bothers me that the Bills standards have dropped so low that we consider Bell to be a "good" player now. He has improved and looked ok, but most teams have much better left OT's than him...Having said that, good job as a 7th rnd pick. Overall D...You have to hit the early picks... Only 2 starters, and they were lucky draws in the 7th rnd.
DrDawkinstein Posted May 2, 2011 Posted May 2, 2011 This draft barely gets a D. It's one Stevie Johnson away from being an F for Frrrrrrrrrrt.
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