It has been an up and down season for this Bills secondary unit. Though the defense is ranked number 1 in turnovers the the secondary has given up its fair share of big plays. Keep in mind players such as McKelvin, Mcgee, and Corner were all brought in during the Jauron regime to play cover 2 and has sense switched to more man coverage schemes. Florence, Williams, and Rodgers are the Gailey era corners on this roster. So without further adieu we will start the breakdown with the cornerbacks.
Leodis McKelvin- Mckelvin was a high draft pick out of Troy Univ. who has had his flashes of great potential and his bonehead plays displayed about equally. This is one of those players that is not the smartest player in the film room but has unreal God given athletic ability which allows him to sometimes my a play that a lesser athlete might not be able to make. this season McKelvin has basically been a 3rd corner sense his demotion earlier in the season. PRO’s- Good ball skills, Insane recovery speed, Loose hips in coverage. Con’s- Bad route recognition, Gets lost in coverage, Not physical at the line of scrimmage. Grade- C
Drayton Florence- Florence was rewarded for 2 solid years in Buffalo with a 3 year contract worth 15 million. His season started very strong with a couple Int’s and his ball hawking ability shown ofter. after 3 solid weeks his best asset started to become one of his weaknesses. Drayton is a extremely physical corner who excels in man coverage. This guy is made to play in man coverage systems which is why he was the top priority for Buffalo in the off season. PRO’s- Great ball skills, Extremely physical at the line of scrimmage and throughout the play, not afraid to tackle in run defense, Man coverage machine. Con’s- Gets too worked up in play and gets too physical which causes penalties (pass interference, and hands to the face, holding), not the fastest DB. Grade- C+
Terrence McGee– Its the same story every season the past couple years with McGee. INJURIES, INJURIES, INJURIES… McGee is a long tenured Buffalo Bill who earned his spot the tough way. Drafted as a return specialist and possible slot corner he worked his way up to a above average corner and earned a contract extension which is a very fair deal if if was healthy for the season. He is currently being paid 3.2 million this season and is due 3.6 million and 4.6 million the next 2 seasons. McGee is hard to grade. Just as no one thought he would be a solid starting corner, No one definitely thought he would be a solid man coverage corner after being a cover 2 corner his whole career. To be honest and i know some of you out there are going to really dislike this comment, but McGee has been our best cover DB when in action this season. The guy saved a TD with a pass defense in NY against the Giants and Even against Plaxico Burress who towers him in size really played well (Plax TD should have been a pass interference call. he is a pro at pushing DB’s around). PRO’s- Very good tackler (averages over 60 tackles a season), above average cover corner, good feet and is always right by his man. CON’s- Injuries. plain and simple. Injuries keep him from consistency. (mark my words folks, look at his numbers after the season if he plays the whole way through and even with 4 games missed he will be the standout corner and at 1.8 million less that Florence is making) Grade- B
Reggie Corner- A 4th round draft pick out of Akron he was drafted to play the slot in the cover 2 by Jauron, and Levy. Though he is a small corner he is a nice 4th corner to have on the roster. Folks he is a situational guy. he are not going to line him up on the outside and ask him to press and play a ton of man coverage, but as a Nickle back in Zone schemes he has value (especially at a very cheap price). After camp he was cut and did not make the 53 man roster but soon was resigned after an injury to rookie Aaron Williams occurred. He has filled in nicely when needed needed and has even registered a interception this season. PRO’s- Good Zone corner, Intelligent player which helps make up for his lack of size. CON’s- small, a little slow, not a good tackler. Grade- C+
Aaron Williams- Drafted in the first few picks in the 2nd round of this past draft Williams was a nice surprise that was not expected to be on the board still at Buffalo’s selection. Williams had a dominant camp. This guy is a physical specimen at the CB position! he can run, jump, physically control a receiver at the line of scrimmage, and has great ball skills to boot. before his injury i though this kid was on his way to an amazing rookie season. it still could end strong for this Texas product. PRO’s- he is a beast at the position, smart, quick, physical, not afraid to tackle. CON’s- he is a rookie (it will take time to adjust to the speed of the NFL that he will regularly see now). Grade- C+ (w0uld be a B but the injury cost him)
In the next couple days i will post my safeties and my grades for them. I did leave 1 CB off this list and that is our rookie from Richmond Justin Rodgers who was elevated to the 53 man roster but has not had enough playing time to give him an accurate grade, but based on the way the staff and coach Gailey feel about his skills and potential he is a player worth keeping an eye on for the future.