A linebacker from Alfred University or Canisteo-Greenwood won’t jump off the page, but Nick Clark his work this weekend will stand out enough that his NFL dream can continue.

Clark began his three-day NFL tryout with the Buffalo Bills on Friday — the opening day of the team’s rookie mini-camp at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

“Just being in the facility and being able to go out on the practice field with all the other guys has been great,” said Clark following his first practice with the Bills’ rookies on Friday afternoon.

Clark, who was a two-time Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year and a part of the Saxons’ team that reached the NCAA Division III tournament in 2010, went undrafted and hoped to hook on somewhere as a free agent.

“I had what I thought was a free agency offer, but that ended up not panning out,” said Clark, who ended up with an invitation to attend the Bills’ rookie camp and has had these three days to try and impress an NFL franchise. “Then I had this chance to try out for the Bills and you couldn’t ask for a better organization.”

During his first practice with the Bills, Clark ran individual drills with the linebackers and participated in 7-on-7’s. Defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt could clearly be heard yelling, “Nice job, Clark!” several times during the practice.

Not a bad start for Clark to be complimented by a Super Bowl champion coach.

“It really is surreal,” said Clark about being instructed by the likes of Wannstedt and head coach Chan Gailey. “You go into the team meeting on the very first day and there’s coach Gailey and coach Wannstedt and all the other coaches. It’s really been a dream so far.”

It’s only three days, so it’s tough to make an impression, but Gailey made it clear about what exactly he and his coaching staff would be looking for from the rookies.

“You try to see effort the guys give and you try to see if he’s a lazy guy or if he’s a worker,” said Gailey. “They’re all talented guys. They wouldn’t be here if they weren’t talented. We’re looking for how they work and how they retain things.”

Clark is certainly looking to take full advantage of this opportunity and the first step would be making it through this weekend and getting an invitation to training camp this summer in Rochester with the Bills.

The NFL became a possibility after his breakout junior year in which he won his first Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year award.

“I got called into coach (Dave) Murray’s office and he told me the Arizona Cardinals had called and asked for some game film,” recalled Clark.

Then he backed it up with another stellar season, even adding short yardage back to his resume, and the chance of being draft became real. While he was passed up in the draft, Clark is among 21 players just hoping for a chance.

“You see the guys from TCU and Florida State and Penn State, you know, all those big schools and then they ask where you’re from and you say Alfred,” said Clark. “Everybody kind of looks at you funny.”

Yet, he’s not the only one from a nearby small town. Derek Buttles, a tight end out of Maine, played high school football at Letchworth and Byron Mulkey, a cornerback from the University at Buffalo, is originally from Wheatfield.

“Just having the chance to be here has been unreal,” said Clark.

In addition to starring on the gridiron, Clark won a pair of state wrestling title at Canisteo-Greenwood. However, the idea of possibly playing in the NFL didn’t cross his mind back in his high school days.

“I would have worked out a little harder in the off-season from high school to now,” said Clark. “I wouldn’t have wrestled, that’s for sure.”

Clark, used to being a fighter, did that this weekend and maybe his NFL dream isn’t over yet.

Longtime NFL executive Bill Polian will be inducted into the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame, the team said Sunday.

Polian served as the team’s general manager from 1986 to 1993, turning a losing franchise into a perennial Super Bowl contender, winning NFL Executive of the Year award twice in that time.

“Bill was the architect of our Super Bowl teams which made four consecutive appearances, a feat that may never be duplicated,” Bills owner Ralph Wilson said in a statement.

The Bills fired Polian after the team lost its third consecutive Super Bowl. The team, largely intact from the year before, made it back to the Super Bowl the following year, as well.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am,” said Polian said in a statement. “I told Mr. Wilson I really couldn’t find words adequate to express my gratitude and happiness.”

Polian was instrumental in signing Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly and drafting Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith. He also drafted running back Thurman Thomas and wide receiver Andre Reed.

Polian went on to serve as the general manager of the expansion Carolina Panthers (1994 to 1997) and president and general manager of the Indianapolis Colts (1997 to 2011). While in Indianapolis he drafted Peyton Manning and finally won a Super Bowl in 2006.

Is the value right for Michael Floyd at No. 10?

Talent is often only half of the equation in the draft, especially in the first round. Value is the other half, and for the Bills this year with their 10th overall pick, their evaluation of a players’ value will likely be the far greater factor that determines the name Roger Goodell calls.

When we speak of value either during the draft or throughout the build-up that feels like it begins the moment the Super Bowl confetti has settled, we’re referring to a players’ talent in relation to both the slot at which he’s about to be drafted, and in comparison to his position peers. If the difference between a player in a high spot early in the draft and another player who’s projected to come off the board considerably lower isn’t significant, then the value is poor, and the pick can and should be used to address needs elsewhere.

I just used exactly 94 words to explain a mundane draft evaluation concept that should be common knowledge. Sure, go ahead and laugh, or become angry because I just wasted your time. But if you ask Buffalo Bills general manager Buddy Nix to assess Michael Floyd’s value, he’d need a hell of a lot more than 94 words.

Floyd’s value will likely be the major question and challenge facing the Bills. To get some more insight on the decisions Nix is juggling, we talked to Brian Galliford, the editor-in-chief of Buffalo Rumblings.

1. The Bills need a wide receiver to complement Stevie Johnson, and they’ll likely have a shot at the draft’s best wideout who isn’t named Justin Blackmon. The projections for Floyd have been widespread, so do you think taking him with the 10^th overall pick is a little too early, or is the value right?

That’s a great question, and one that’s difficult to answer. Nix has made it very well-known that he likes the talent the team has at receiver, that he likes the depth of this year’s receiver class, and that he believes it’s easier to find help at the position because there are more of those types of players readily available throughout the year.

My guess is that the Bills will only take a receiver with their first-round pick if they think the player has a chance to not only make an immediate impact, but to become one of the stars at his position. I like Floyd, and think he has some of that play-making ability the team needs. I don’t think he’s an elite receiving prospect, and coupled with his off-field issues, I can’t say for certain that the Bills will see enough to take him when they think they can get help later on.

2. What’s the greater need between WR and the offensive line? And if the decision is made to address the O-line, does Riley Reiff get the call?

Nix has said that the team needs a receiver, and he’s also said that the team is going to draft a tackle if one is available, and that the team can never have enough tackles. Based solely on that, I’d say the team views tackle as the bigger of the two needs.

They’ve only got three on the roster at the moment, after all, so not only do they need a guy that – at minimum – can push 2011 fourth-round pick Chris Hairston to start at left tackle, but they need depth as well. As far as Reiff goes, the team passed on Bryan Bulaga to take C.J. Spiller when they already had Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson in 2010, and Reiff is similar to Bulaga in many ways. The Bills haven’t typically made high-round investments in tackles; Hairston was their highest-drafted tackle since 2002 mega-bust Mike Williams. They also seem to prefer massive players at the position; their three tackles are, on average, 6’7″ and 321 pounds. It’s therefore extremely difficult to pick who the team would prefer amongst the top tackles this year, but Reiff, I don’t believe, would be the first choice.

3. If Floyd is either passed on or isn’t available, are there any receivers in the second round and beyond that you like?

I like Rueben Randle from LSU, and Nix has admitted that he likes Randle too.

A lot of people like Randle. Greg Cosell has compared him to Hakeem Nicks, and there’s been a lot of buzz about Randle from the beginning. I’m not sure he’ll be there when the Bills pick in the second round, but he would be the prototypical Nix pick – a very good athlete from college football’s best conference at a position of need. Randle could conceivably compete with the other receivers the Bills like for that aforementioned No. 2 job. Another guy I like is Marvin Jones from Cal.

4. Despite the additions of Mario Williams and Mark Anderson, could the move to a 4-3 combined with Chris Kelsay’s age lead to a pass rusher who can be groomed and developed being drafted in the middle rounds?

Most definitely. But Kelsay will be part of the picture. Williams is 27, so he’s in his prime, but Anderson will be 29 in May and Kelsay will be 33 in September.

The guy that really needs to be replaced, however, is Shawne Merriman; the team simply can’t rely on him as their situational pass rusher at this point, and there’s not much behind him, with Kyle Moore (formerly of Tampa Bay) being the biggest name there. A developmental pass rusher that can play special teams and grow into a situational role as a rookie would make a lot of sense for the team.

5. Any other needs you’d like to see addressed?

The team needs depth at cornerback, and Nix has said he’d like to add two. They also need more speed at linebacker. There really isn’t any position that doesn’t need to be touched, save for running back, but one position I wish the team were more interested in addressing is tight end. Scott Chandler is a nice player and a good starter, but the team doesn’t seem interested in capitalizing on the emerging trend of having a receiving tight end featured in their passing attack.

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