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What Needs to Be Done By Brian Campbell  |
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Basically, everyone is going to be looking at the Bills top two picks in the NFL Draft, cornerback Leodis McKelvin and wide receiver James Hardy. These two guys are going to have to contribute in order for the Bills to compete in the AFC, and more importantly the AFC East.
First off, have the Bills done enough in the offseason to catch the New England Patriots? Well, the simple answer is no. Granted the Bills did make significant advances with their young team, adding defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and Spencer Johnson, along with safety William James and linebacker Kawika Mitchell, but still a lot is going to rely on the play of not only the very young offense, but the defensive secondary as well.
This year we need a definite improvement as far as offensive output goes. This Bills team threw for a combined 12 touchdowns between Trent Edwards JP Losman and Marshawn Lynch, among the leagues worst, and 14 total interceptions. Only six of those touchdowns went to wide outs, and that is where Hardy comes in. The Bills are hoping he can be a Plaxico Burress type red zone threat due to his size and innate ability, but obviously that all remains to be seen. At 6’7”, this guy had one hell of a productive college career with 191 receptions for 2740 yards and 36 touchdowns, but it still remains to be seen if he can contribute right away or if he is going to be a multi-year project. Can he make the rough transition speed wise and size wise from college to the pros? Well, lets hope the answer is yes.
Everything I keep hearing about McKelvin is that he is going to step in immediately and be the next Nate Clements. First off, that isn’t going to be hard because honestly I was never the biggest supporter of Clements play during his time here in Buffalo. Can McKelvin be the next Clements? Yes, and it shouldn’t take long to see that. I believe that he can take that next step and be able to provide the Bills with something close to a shutdown corner. He has the speed and ability to be able to play man as well as a zone, and it will be interesting to see how the Bills use him in schemes. He only had four career college interceptions, but his make up speed and tackling ability I think make up for that. I think he competes immediately and he might start the season on the field.
So, I guess the question in the end still is, have the Bills done enough to make themselves a contender? While the answer remains to be seen, it is really hard to make a judgment either way. It hinges on the play of the offense really, with Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch at the forefront.
Next time we will look at other aspects of the Bills; what they have done, what they need to do, at other positions.
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