How and why the Bills added serious speed by selecting Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston in NFL draft
The Buffalo Bills addressed their biggest positional need during the first round of the 2025 NFL draft Thursday night – and they added some serious speed to their defense in the process.
The Buffalo Bills addressed their biggest positional need during the first round of the 2025 NFL draft Thursday night – and they added some serious speed to their defense in the process.
The team chose Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston with the No. 30 overall selection. Hairston, 5-foot-11 and 182 pounds, can absolutely fly: His 4.28-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine was the fastest time of all prospects there.
“He’s got ball skills. There are guys that have speed, but they don’t track it well or they just can’t make the play. He’s got that,” Bills general manager Brandon Beane said. “His thing he’ll have to watch on – he anticipates. Sometimes those guys that anticipate, they get double-moved. ... Everybody’s got holes in their game, right? Nothing’s perfect, but he loves to make plays on the ball.
“He’s an aggressive player attacking the ball, which we like. And we’ll just tell him to read his keys and learn.”
Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston, right, poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, center, and Tommy Parzymieso
after being chosen by the Bills in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday night. Jeff Roberson, Associated Press
The Bills had a clear need at the cornerback position. They elected not to re-sign starter Rasul Douglas and instead reunited with Tre’Davious White and Dane Jackson on one-year contracts. The two veterans are not top-tier options, but their presence could keep the Bills from having to force Hairston into the lineup in Week 1 if the coaching staff doesn’t think he’s ready.
“We feel good that we’ve got guys there if Maxwell’s not ready,” Beane said. “It’ll be an open competition, like we do everywhere, of who will win that job opposite Christian (Benford) and may the best man win. Yeah, maybe even if he doesn’t win it right away, maybe more time on task he gets in there later in the year. But we do feel adding him gives us something that we don’t have in that room currently with the speed that he runs.”
Bills cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae, entering his second season on the job, will be front-and-center in teaching Hairston the professional game and how the Bills play defense.
One of the first orders of business for Hairston will be to bulk up. Although he’s listed at 182 pounds, he said during an introductory video call with local media he’s up to 192 pounds. The Bills’ defense under coach Sean McDermott places a high priority on cornerbacks being able to tackle, and that’s an area Hairston will need to improve.
“I think he is a willing tackler,” Beane said. “He has played at a lighter weight. … He’s beefed up a little bit. I think he’ll be able to still carry that weight, carry the speed. He knows that. Sometimes when we’re grading guys, it’s effort, like are you a willing tackler? He’s definitely a willing tackler. Did he get big-boy-ed once in a while or bounce off? Yes. But he’s willing.”
A two-year starter at Kentucky, the 21-year-old Hairston played in 32 college games, making 20 starts. He totaled 89 career tackles, 2½ tackles for loss, one sack, 10 passes defensed, six interceptions and three forced fumbles.
Hairston tied a Kentucky program record with three interception returns for touchdowns.
A shoulder injury limited Hairston to just seven games in 2024. He had 19 tackles, five passes defensed, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble and one sack.
Beane said Hairston’s shoulder injury is healed and he should be ready to participate in practice this spring.
The Bills hosted Hairston on a top-30 visit to the team facility, and Beane said the cornerback’s infectious personality won over the staff.
“Man, my emotions were like, uncontrollable,” Hairston said of being chosen. “I told myself I wasn’t going to cry when I got the call, but as soon as I saw ‘Buffalo Bills,’ I bursted out crying. I was just so happy, so thankful. I’m so blessed to be able to continue my career in the NFL, and I’m so excited to get to work.”
Hairston was in attendance at the draft in Green Bay, Wis. Wearing a metallic sportscoat with (fittingly) a white shirt, blue pants and a blue tie, he was seen during the broadcast showing love to the players drafted before him.
“The fact that I knew the majority of the guys that got picked, of course I had to show some love,” he said. “Like, man, those are my brothers, man. We worked so hard for this opportunity, and to all hear our names called, man, it’s truly beautiful. I’m so glad that I was able to hype them up, and then later on hear my name called the same night. It’s a blessing.”
This is the second straight year the Bills have drafted a player out of Kentucky, following the selection of running back Ray Davis in the fourth round in 2024.
It’s the first time since the 2021 draft that the Bills stayed put and used their original first-round draft position.
Beane said more of his trade conversations centered on teams behind them wanting to move up, but he wasn’t interested in such a move until he knew who was going to be available when the Bills went on the clock.
“We had options to go back, but we had a good grade on Max,” Beane said. “We’re excited that he was available.”
As the No. 30 overall pick, Hairston’s contract will be worth $15.2 million over four years, according to sports business website spotrac.com. The Bills will include a fully guaranteed signing bonus of $7.7 million, and they’ll have an option to pick up Hairston for a fifth year in 2029. Hairston’s cap hit in 2025 is $2.8 million.
