Of the endless amount of NFL mock drafts scattered across the Internet, some prognosticators believe former University of Indiana wide receiver James Hardy will be taken in the first round, while other fearless forecasters view the 22-year-old as a second-round prospect.
Regardless of where Hardy ultimately ends up being selected in this weekend's draft, one thing is certain: Given the size (6-foot-5, 217 pounds) and attributes he possesses (4.51 speed in the 40-yard dash, for one), Hardy would be a perfect fit for the receiver-starved Buffalo Bills.
Bills owner Ralph Wilson made it clear in February that the team's No. 1 objective for the offseason was to add a tall, physical receiver to complement the 5-11, 197-pound Lee Evans, who pathetically led the roster with 55 catches, under 900 yards and five touchdowns in 2007. Wilson made his opinion manifest before free agency opened Feb. 29, but the Bills fairly wisely elected not to over-pursue an unspectacular list of veterans.
That said, one of the main reasons for Evans' struggles -- along with mostly lousy quarterback play from rookie Trent Edwards and four-year veteran J.P. Losman -- was his lack of help. In fact, Buffalo's next-best receiver in terms of yardage accrued was Josh Reed, who amassed just 578.
At a mere 5-11, Evans is currently the tallest of the roster's top three wideouts, which obviously won't suffice. Turning to the future, Hardy's size will give him a great advantage over most pro cornerbacks, thus making him ideal for the Bills (or any other team) in the red zone. When Buffalo found itself inside other teams' 20-yard lines last year, its offense was, to say the least, rather abhorrent, evidenced by its 29th-place ranking in TDs scored (12).
The Bills' inability to find pay dirt consistently last season was largely connected to their lack of a big threat in the red zone. Sure, the team had a highly skilled bruiser in running back Marshawn Lynch, and it also possessed an accomplished target in Evans. However, the Bills were clearly missing a large pass catcher capable of using his size to impose his will on opposing defensive backs. The 5-10, 210-pound Reed and high school-sized Roscoe Parrish (5-9, 173), the team's current second and third receivers, respectively, clearly aren't capable of striking fear into opposing defenses by their end zones; additionally, Buffalo's tight end corps -- which was terrible in '07 -- remains one of the league's poorest.
Hardy, who scored a superb 36 touchdowns in his three years as a Hoosier, would go a long way toward solidifying Buffalo's red-zone offense for both the present and future. Because he was involved in a domestic dispute in the past, some don't see a possibility of the character-driven Bills drafting him; contrarily, though, Hardy's past off-field problems are just that -- in the past -- and he deserves the benefit of the doubt for misgivings that might be attributable to the immaturity which accompanies youth. Further, Hardy hasn't garnered nearly as much attention as overrated NFL-bound receivers like Malcolm Kelly (Oklahoma) and Limas Sweed (Texas) -- despite compiling much better statistics -- because of the unheralded football school he attended; but the fact is, the greatest wideout in Bills history, Andre Reed, graduated from the still-anonymous Kutztown State, and the best receiver all time, Jerry Rice, is a Mississippi Valley State alumnus.
No one is saying Hardy will produce the way Reed and Rice did during their spectacular careers, but if his outstanding college numbers (191 catches, 14.2 yards per grab and the aforementioned 36 scores in 33 games) are any indication, the Fort Wayne, Ind., native is in for quite a time in the NFL.
And Buffalo should be the place the tall, speedy and physical Hardy starts his pro journey. It would indeed be a marriage made in heaven between a team whose receiving corps is constructed of Lollipop Guild extras and a veritable giant who is anxiously awaiting draft Saturday, when league commissioner Roger Goodell will surely call his name.
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Originally Posted by dasaybz
would totally support that, as I am either the president or vice president of the Schobel hate club. I can't really harbor anything against Kelsay because he puts in work whenever he can, but Schobel comes off as an uncaring, uncommitted, unadulterated douche.
Connor Byrne
