When James Hardy says he'd like to be fellow receiver Lee Evans' little brother, he's referring to age, not size. The distinction is quite apparent because, at 6-5 and change, there's nothing small about Hardy, the Buffalo Bills' rookie second-round pick out of Indiana. The only thing bigger as far as head coach Dick Jauron is concerned might be the expectations the organization has of Hardy. They're counting on him to make an immediate impact on what's been a popgun offense by providing a secondary threat opposite Evans, according to the Sporting News. "He's a 6-foot-5 receiver, and we've got to score," Jauron said referring to an offense that produced 20 touchdowns last year -- a franchise low in a 16-game season. "Hopefully, he'll provide us with a lot more opportunity to score and make more plays, the plays that we need."
Adding James Hardy to the Buffalo Bills receiving corps has safety Donte Whitner excited. He believes that a receiver with the size and ability of Hardy will force opposing defenses to make tough choices when it comes to coverage, according to BuffaloBills.com. "Any time you have a guy [Hardy] that's 6'5" or 6'6" with the speed that he has and with Lee (Evans) on the other side and guys like Roscoe (Parrish) and Josh (Reed) in the slot, you have a dangerous receiving corps," Whitner said. "So now when we get down in the red zone we don't have to come up with little schemes or tricks to try to get in the end zone. You can just throw the ball up to him and if he's double covered that means Lee is probably singled up. And I'm taking Lee 95 percent of the time against any corner in the league one-on-one. If you try to double both of them you have a guy like Roscoe in the slot. And I don't believe that anybody can cover him one-on-one in the slot in true man to man. I truly don't believe it. So now you have a very dangerous receiving corps."
Leodis McKelvin's first weekend as a NFL player went as smooth as he expected. There was a lot to learn, but he is confident in his ability to handle the transition, according to the Buffalo News. "I feel like I can compete against anybody," McKelvin said. "I feel like I'm getting better every practice and every day. It's been real good." McKelvin reiterated that he's aware of the high expectations of being the 11th overall pick, but he also expects to live up to them. "That's the goal I set for myself coming in, especially being drafted No. 11," he said. "If you're going to draft somebody at No. 11 you don't want him sitting on the bench or waiting for somebody. You want him to come in and play early. I'm going to come in and learn the defense and get better and better."
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