By Jay Skurski<br><a href="mailto:skurskij@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Jay</a>
ORCHARD PARK — Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Leodis McKelvin.
The Buffalo Bills made McKelvin, a cornerback from Troy who doubles as an electrifying return man, their first-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft on Saturday, 11th overall.
They also felt lucky to get him.
“We certainly felt there was a good chance that he was not going to be there when we were up at 11,” Bills Chief Operating Officer Russ Brandon said.
McKelvin tied the NCAA Division I-A career record with eight kicks returned for touchdowns. But the Bills see more out of a player who many draft experts viewed as a Top-10 pick.
“From a talent aspect, he’s a terrific athlete who will give you corner support and he has excellent cover skills,” Bills Vice President of College Scouting Tom Modrak said.
McKelvin hails from Waycross, Ga., where he starred for Ware County High School. Academic issues kept him from bigger football schools, but he found a home at Troy, a Sun Belt Conference school that in recent years has produced New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora and Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware.
It’s expected McKelvin will challenge for a starting spot opposite Terrence McGee early in the season.
“I’m going to come in and make the team a lot better,” he said on a conference call with the Western New York media.
McKelvin, who checks in at 5-foot-10 and 192 pounds, runs the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, speed similar to Bills receiver Lee Evans.
“He’s a tough corner and he competes,” Bills coach Dick Jauron said of McKelvin. “He’ll compete in the run game also. He’ll tackle. That’s important to us and any other team, too. They’ll force the corner to tackle in this league.”
With Troy last season McKelvin registered 50 solo tackles, two interceptions, three fumbles and nine deflected passes. He was the first cornerback taken in a draft which flew by compared to years past. The NFL’s decision to cut the amount of time for first-round picks from 15 minutes to 10 proved a success.
For more on the first day of the draft, including where the Bills decided to go in Round 2, see sports, page 1B.
Contact reporter Jay Skurski at 693-1000, ext. 117.
