BILLS: Where will Buffalo go in draft?

By Jay Skurski<br><a href="mailto:skurskij@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Jay</a>

Chief Operating Officer Russ Brandon has already drawn praise from Buffalo Bills fans for his job in regionalizing the franchise, making it a commercial success despite the fact its been a football failure the past eight seasons.

Brandon even got off to a good start in the personnel part of the game, engineering a trade for defensive tackle Marcus Stroud and inking free agent linebacker Kawika Mitchell.

But his biggest test in his new role starts Saturday when the Bills go on the clock with the 11th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. With an escalating salary cap giving virtually every NFL team money to spend, the draft remains the single most important tool in building a team. Brandon doesn’t expect anything to change now that he’s calling the shots.

"We’ll take the exact same approach that we’ve taken over the last decade that I’ve been here again with Tom (Modrak) and Dick (Jauron) and Mr. Wilson and the people in that room,” he said. “Again, we want to debate, we want discussion, we want cohesiveness and that’s what we’ve had and that’s what we’ll continue to have and we will communicate. At the end of the day we’ll do it again. I sound like a broken record but we’ll do what’s in the best interest for the organization and ultimately it will be my responsibility, but I’m looking forward to it, I will tell you that.”

Leading up to the draft, there’s been three positions — wide receiver, tight end and cornerback — generally thought to be needs for the Bills. The team has also been rumored to use the No. 11 pick on a defensive spot that’s not as big of a need, such as linebacker or defensive end.

Of course, those fishing for answers on Wednesday caught the equivalent of an old boot.

“Obviously, we are going through the preparations (for the draft),” Brandon said. “Tom Modrak has done an unbelievable job of preparation, along with his scouting staff to put us in the position to do what’s in the best interests of the Buffalo Bills organization. ... We expect to have a very good draft.”

The following is a look at four positions the Bills may address at some point early in the draft.



Cornerback

• THE CANDIDATE: Leodis McKelvin, 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, Troy. Elite returner, who shows willingness, if not ability, in run support. Agile and quick. Standout kick returner.

• OTHER OPTIONS: Mike Jenkins, 6-foot-0, 200 pounds, South Florida; Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, 6-foot-2, 182 pounds, Tennessee State; Brandon Flowers, 5-foot-10, 189 pounds, Virginia Tech.



Wide receiver

• THE CANDIDATE: Malcolm Kelly, 6-foot-4, 218 pounds, Oklahoma. Weak workouts, followed by his complaining about conditions, dropped his value. Can change direction quickly, but more a long strider than actually fast. Great hands. Excellent, aggressive blocker.

• OTHER OPTIONS:

Devin Thomas, 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Michigan St., Limas Sweed, 6-foot-4, 212 pounds, Texas; Mario Manningham, 6-foot-0, 181 pounds, Michigan.



Tight end

• THE CANDIDATE: Martellus Bennett, 6-foot-6, 259 pounds, Texas A&M.; Played basketball for the Aggies as well, and has the athletic ability to be a nice red-zone target. Lack of speed means he’s not a deep threat, but once he improves his routes, his strength and size should make him an asset. Needs to improve zone recognition, too. Good, aggressive blocker.

• OTHER OPTIONS: Fred Davis, 6-foot-4, 248 pounds, Southern Cal; Dustin Keller, 6-foot-3, 242 pounds, Purdue; John Carlson, 6-foot-5, 251 pounds, Notre Dame.



Linebacker

• THE CANDIDATE: Keith Rivers, 6-foot-3, 235 pounds, Southern Cal. Excellent athletic ability, but sometimes can get neutralized, especially in traffic. Persistent effort. Shows promise in pass coverage.

• OTHER OPTIONS: Jerod Mayo, 6-foot-1, 242 pounds, Tennessee; Xavier Adibi, 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Virginia Tech; Jordon Dizon, 6-foot-0, 228 pounds, Colorado.





2008 NFL Draft

• WHEN: Saturday and April 27

• WHERE: Radio City Music Hall, New York City

• SCHEDULE: Round 1 begins at 3 p.m. Saturday with Round 2 to follow. The draft resumes at 10 a.m. Sunday with Rounds 3 through 7.

• TV: ESPN will carry the draft from 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday, with ESPN2 to pick up the conclusion of the second round Saturday. On Sunday, ESPN will air the remainder of the draft, beginning at 10 a.m. NFL Network will also carry the draft in its entirety.

• WHAT’S NEW: Time between picks in the first round this year has been reduced from 15 to 10 minutes and from 10 to 7 minutes in the second round.



Bills picks

• ROUND 1: 11th overall

• ROUND 2: 41st overall

• ROUND 3: 72nd overall

• ROUND 4: 114th and 142nd overall

• ROUND 5: 147th overall

• ROUND 6: 179th overall

ª ROUND 7: 219th, 224th and 251st overall