Forgive Xavier Omon if he appears just a bit like the country hick who’s awed by the big city.

The change of scenery is drastic for Omon, the Beatrice, Neb., athlete who set numerous records as a running back at Northwest Missouri State and now finds himself on the eve of training camp with the Buffalo Bills.

“I actually just went and found an apartment today,” Omon said by phone Tuesday afternoon.

And with a healthy bonus for his status as a sixth-round draft pick, the 23-year-old suddenly had more money to spend on housing than he did as a college student.

“It’s definitely better than the one in Maryville,” he said. “It’s right in downtown Buffalo. Downtown Buffalo compared to Maryville, Mo.? It’s a big

difference.”

But the scenery isn’t all that has changed. This is the NFL, where everything is bigger, including the playbook.

“Northwest had a pretty hard playbook, but this one’s a lot different,” Omon said. “It’s a lot more ... I don’t know how to put it into words ... but it’s definitely harder.”

The Bills hold their first practice from 8:30 to 10:20 a.m. today at St. John Fisher College near Rochester, N.Y. A second practice is scheduled from 2:15 to 4:05 p.m., as the team prepares for its first exhibition game August against the Redskins in Washington.

Omon, who enters training camp at 5-foot-11, 227 pounds, said he is feeling good about his chances, though he admits to a few butterflies. He expects those butterflies to vanish once he takes his first hit in training camp.

“I’m looking forward to it because we can finally put on pads,” Omon said. “There’s just so much we could do in our earlier workouts without pads.”

Still, Omon’s confidence was bolstered during this spring’s rookie camp and organized team activities, in which running backs coach Eric Studesville and the rest of the Bills staff got their first good look at the NCAA’s first player to reach 1,500 rushing yards in four seasons.

“I think the coaches were impressed,” Omon said. “I don’t think they were expecting me to be as mobile as I am.”

That mobility will be necessary if Omon has a chance to compete for playing time. He goes into training camp listed at No. 4 among the five running backs on the roster.

First-round 2007 pick Marshawn Lynch, who rushed for 1,115 yards as a rookie, leads the group, followed by two-year pro Fred Jackson, who played in eight games and had one start in 2007. Currently third on the depth chart is Dwayne Wright, a fourth-round selection in 2007 who played in 14 games last season.

Just as it was when he was a freshman at Northwest, Omon knows that being the new kid in town can have its disadvantages.

But this time, it’s a little

different.

“Now we’re all grown men,” Omon said. “I’m trying to approach it to not look at myself as a rookie and approach it instead as a man, and this is my everyday job.”

Omon is one of two Northwest players embarking on training camp. Fellow Bearcat Mike Peterson signed a free-agent contract with the Green Bay Packers, who open camp Monday.