The Buffalo Bills stayed the course, opting to let the talent fall to them, ultimately making their selection at 30 in Round 1 the 2025 NFL Draft. The Bills set their sights on cornerback Maxwell Hairston, excited to bring in a four-year player from the SEC with two-years of starting experience for the Kentucky Wildcats.
Hairston is all speed — he ran the fastest 40-yard dash (4.28 seconds) at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. He has requisite height along with plenty of length at 31” arms, but analysts have observed him to be slight in frame (188 pounds). Hairston tested like an elite athlete at the NFL combine and plays like one.
He’s a very smart football player with read-and-react ability to play a multitude of coverage schemes. The Bills have experimented with man in certain game plans while sticking to head coach Sean McDermott’s roots in zone defense. Some will mistake Hairston as a man corner only, but he’s proven himself as a more than capable zone defender with a key ability to diagnose plays and a lightning-quick drive on the football.
Hairston’s lack of weight shows up on tape against big, physical receivers and at times in run support. The Bills normally prioritize tackling at the position, but saw a premiere talent in Hairston.
While Hairston is aggressive and willing, the weight is a limiting factor in run support. Hairston will also have to trust his speed along with ability at the catch point as he does have some grabbing in his game that will draw penalties in the NFL.
Overall, Buffalo got faster on defense in the first round. Hairston defines exactly what they needed at the corner spot with a healthy notch up in athleticism. The Bills will likely continue the trend of getting faster and more explosive along the defensive line as the rest of the draft unfolds.
