Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills needed a cornerback.

The 24th-ranked pass defense extended Christian Benford and let free agent Rasul Douglas walk. GM Brandon Beane then recently brought back a former Bills 1st rounder, Tre’Davious White on a one-year deal. Add in Taron Johson and that’s the Bills corners.

So it was no surprise when Buffalo’s GM Brandon Beane selected Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston with the No. 30 pick in Round 1. At least half the mock drafts over the last month made the prediction and it came true. The question is — was it a good pick?

Hairston is blazing fast and sudden, running a combine-best 4.28 in the 40-yard dash and hitting a 39.5″ vertical leap. In 2023, Hairston started every game and had five INT’s and led the team with six pass break-ups on the way to earning 2nd Team All-SEC honors.

Apr 24, 2025; Maxwell Hairston speaks after being selected by the Buffalo Bills as the number 30 pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In 2024, however, Hairston missed missed five games with a shoulder injury. At 5’11” and 183 pounds, one of the concerns about Hairston is his durability. He also doesn’t have a reputation as a corner that likes contact — perhaps because his size doesn’t necessarily allow him to get the best of it.

Hairston could conceivably have trouble against bigger wide receivers in the NFL. Furthermore, one thing that Bills’ head coach Sean McDermott and Beane have maintained is that Buffalo’s corners need to be physical in run support. Hairston hasn’t proven to be that player.

Hairston has top-shelf speed, yes, but that does not do he or the organization any good if he’s hurt or can’t come up and make the tackle at a crucial moment. The opportunity cost of a first round pick is too great to spend it on a player with that glaring of a downside.

Sep 21, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats defensive back Maxwell Hairston (1) runs onto the field. / Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

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