Published: April 26, 2009 11:15 pm      

BILLS: Draft brings big men and d-backs

ORCHARD PARK — Bills general manager Russ Brandon stood at the podium in the team’s media room, flanked by Buffalo’s two hulking first-round draft picks, suddenly feeling a little overshadowed.

“Make sure it looks good,” Brandon said with a laugh as he posed for pictures with defensive end Aaron Maybin and center Eric Wood late Sunday afternoon. “Obviously, this is the one time I feel very small.”

And that’s not a bad thing for Brandon, because big is suddenly in for a Buffalo Bills team that made a concerted effort in the NFL draft this weekend to begin turning around the losing fortunes that have dogged the franchise for a decade.

Maybin, who is listed at 6-foot-3, was selected 11th overall out of Penn State, and expected to immediately improve a pass rush that finished among the worst in the NFL last season. Wood, listed at 6-foot-4, was taken with the No. 28 pick out of Louisville, and will be given an opportunity to compete for a starting job at left guard.

If first impressions are any indication, both prospects are eager to start turning the Bills into winners.

“I can’t speak for the big man,” Maybin said, pointing to Wood, standing next to him. “But I welcome the attention. The opportunity to come in and have this great organization put its faith in us, that we could come in be a few of those pieces of the puzzle and help win football games, it’s an extreme honor.”

Wood felt at home already. Though he grew up in Cincinnati, he is well aware of the Bills teams that won four consecutive AFC titles in the early 1990s.

“To be in a position like this to try to get back to those days is an extreme honor,” Wood said. “You know, we’re not coming here to try and lose.”

No, the Bills have had enough of that. Here’s a team that’s coming off three straight 7-9 seasons and hasn’t made the playoffs in nine straight years, tied with Detroit for the longest active drought in the NFL.

With this draft, the Bills believe they’ve given themselves a chance to be competitive, even in an ultra-tough AFC East division in which Buffalo went 0-6 last year.

“We feel very good as an organization, excited of where this organization’s headed,” Brandon said. “We certainly are poised to move forward and excited to move forward.”

Priding themselves in sticking to their board, the Bills took a methodical approach to the two-day draft in which they were able to check off many needs, with numerous players who have the potential to make immediate contributions.

Aside from Maybin and Wood, the Bills further bolstered their depth at offensive line by selecting Andy Levitre out of Oregon State with the No. 51 selection on Saturday.

Wood and Levitre add to an offensive line that’s undergoing several changes this offseason after Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters was traded to Philadelphia, left guard Derrick Dockery was cut in February, and the team elected not to re-sign centers Duke Preston and Melvin Fowler.

Buffalo opened the draft on Sunday addressing another need by selecting Southern Mississippi tight end Shawn Nelson in the fourth round. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 238 pounds, Nelson has solid speed and the potential to contribute immediately to a revamped passing attack that now includes receiver Terrell Owens.

The Bills then spent their remaining four picks on defensive backs, starting with a second-round selection of Dairus Byrd out of Oregon. Byrd can play cornerback, but expected to compete to start at free safety.

Following coach Dick Jauron’s philosophy that a team can never have enough defensive backs, Buffalo closed the draft by selecting three more: Oklahoma’s Nic Harris, selected 147th, who is expected to be converted into a linebacker; Southern California’s Cary Harris, 183rd; and West Virginia’s Ellis Lankster, 220th.

Jauron is confident the Bills added necessary toughness, particularly to an offensive line that was pushed around last year by being inconsistent in the run game and allowing 38 sacks.

In describing his style, Wood indicated he’s up for any challenge.

“I’m a finisher,” Wood said. “The fun part is knocking people down and punishing the guy you’re going against. That’s the joy of football to me.”

By drafting two offensive linemen, Brandon felt more comfortable with the decision to trade Peters rather than risk another offseason-long holdout.

“Now it’s time to move on. We’ve done that, and hopefully it works out for both parties,” Brandon said. “I think the closure comes when the trade’s complete. But certainly, when you look at the body of work at the conclusion of the last couple of days, I think that’s a fair statement.”