Bills notebook
Hardy signs, leaving McKelvin as last holdout
And then there was one.
The Buffalo Bills reached a contract agreement with second- round draft pick James Hardy Thursday evening. That left first-round pick Leodis McKelvin as the only unsigned draft pick for the Bills.
Earlier Thursday the Bills signed third-round pick Chris Ellis and sixth-round pick Xavier Omon.
“As always, we want these guys to get every snap they can,” said Russ Brandon, Bills chief operating officer. “We hope everybody is on the field [today] at 8:30.”
The Bills open training camp today with a workout from 8:30 to 10:20 a. m. They will practice again from 2:15 to 4:05 p. m. at St. John Fisher College. The same practice times are scheduled for Saturday.
Hardy, the 6-foot-6 receiver out of Indiana, was the 41st overall pick in the draft. Terms of his deal were not disclosed, but it’s believed to be a four-year deal worth a total of about $4 million.
The Bills are counting on Hardy to play a significant role in the offense right away, and it was important to the team that he not miss any practice time.
Ellis, a defensive end from Virginia Tech, reached agreement on a four-year contract that will pay him about $2.8 million. It could go up to $3.2 million if all incentives are reached and it includes $800,000 in bonus money.
Ellis was the 72nd overall pick in the draft. He had 8z 1/3 1/2 ck 1/3 as a senior and was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference pick. The Bills are hoping he will be effective in spot duty as a rookie in a defensive end rotation that includes Aaron Schobel, Chris Kelsay, Ryan Denney and Spencer Johnson.
“I’m glad we were able to get it done,” Ellis said upon reporting to Fisher. “I never heard of a third-round pick holding out, so I didn’t want that to happen. It’s a big weight off. It’s my first job, so I’m just ready to go out and perform.”
Omon was taken 179th overall out of Northwest Missouri State. He rushed for 7,073 yards and 98 touchdowns in his college career.
McKelvin, the cornerback from Troy University, was the 11th overall pick.
The 10th overall pick, linebacker Jerod Mayo, reached a deal with New England Thursday that will pay him a reported $18.9 million over five years, with $13.8 million guaranteed.
