Round 1, Pick 30
The Buffalo Bills drafted Maxwell Hairston out of Kentucky with the 30th pick in the 1st round of this past NFL Draft in April. He looks to make an instant impact, the way 2024 rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean impacted the Philadelphia Eagles in their Super Bowl run.
How We Got Here
They took a chance on Florida CB Kaiir Elam, with the 23rd overall pick in the 2022 draft, who has since been traded to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason. While they drafted starting CB Christian Benford with the 185th pick in the 6th round of the same draft class, they have long needed an elite lockdown since the injuries to Tre’Davious White years ago.
Buffalo has been looking for an heir to lead the secondary following the departures of Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, and returning veteran Tre’Davious White, who’s likely nearing the end of his career. Buffalo moved on to safeties Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin last season while drafting Cole Bishop. Rapp and Hamlin are serviceable starters, but are not the elite defenders that Buffalo is used to seeing. Safety, DT2, and CB2 were major needs heading into this year’s draft.
College Stats
As a 3-star recruit, Maxwell Hairston committed to Kentucky in 2020. He was redshirted his freshman year in 2021 and played in limited time in 2022. Since 2023 at the University of Kentucky, compiled an impressive 87 Tackles, 1 Sack, 3 Forced Fumbles, 10 Passes Defensed, and an astounding 6 interceptions, 3 of which he returned for a touchdown. Hairston also led the SEC with 5 interceptions in 2023. Maxwell Hairston’s most notable game came against Vanderbilt, where he picked off AJ Swann twice and returned both for a touchdown. The following stats are available via Chad Reuter, NFL Draft Researcher/Analyst with NFL Media since 2011, linked in Hairston’s draft profile below.
- 2021: Redshirted.
- 2022: Played in 12 games as a reserve.
- 2023: Second-team All-SEC. Tied for sixth in the FBS with 5 INTs (led SEC), tied for second in the FBS with 2 INTs returned for TDs. Led team with 6 PBUs. Started all 13 games (68 tackles, 1.5 TFLs).
- 2024: Started 7 games (19 tackles, sack, INT returned for TD, 4 PBUs, 2 FFs). Missed 5 games with a shoulder injury.
NFL Combine
Draft profile: https://www.nfl.com/prospects/maxwell-hairston/32004841-4974-0557-7544-a7fed2221d85
Maxwell Hairston put up impressive numbers at the 2025 combine. He clocked a blazing 4.28 seconds, the fastest among all participants. This also ranks him in the 99th percentile for the 40-yard dash for cornerbacks. His vertical jump also impressed scouts with 39.5 inches, a broad jump of 10 feet 9 inches, and a 10-yard split of 1.5 seconds, all of which rank high among cornerbacks.
What to Expect
My expectations for Maxwell Hairston are much higher coming into the league than most, as I see him being an instant starter opposite of Christian Benford. Hairston will have no problem covering most teams’ WR2s while developing. My rookie season predictions for the Kentucky product: 41 Tackles, 0 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble, 8 Passes Defensed, 2 Interceptions.
The reason Kaiir Elam didn’t excel in the Bills defense is due to him being a primarily man corner that they tried to convert into a zone corner, whereas Hairston is a threat all over the field and excels in both man and zone coverage. Coming to Buffalo, he will be utilized mostly in zone coverage in their nickel defense. His speed and agility, mixed with these multi-coverage abilities, give him the potential to be a true lockdown with the likes of Patrick Surtain II, Sauce Gardner, and Derek Stingley Jr.
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