Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston celebrates after being chosen by the Buffalo Bills with the 30th overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. Jeff Roberson/AP
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Maxwell Hairston’s blistering speed wasn’t the only thing that helped convince Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane to select the Kentucky cornerback in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night
What impressed Beane more, aside from filling Buffalo’s most pressing offseason need, was the 21-year-old’s ability to recover when he gets beaten in coverage. It was a quality evident in one play the GM and Hairston watched during their meeting at the NFL combine in Indianapolis two months ago.
In a game against Texas last year, Longhorns receiver Isaiah Bond got a few steps on Hairston before the cornerback swiveled and, without losing his balance, chased down the receiver in time to break up a reception.
“It’s hard to have recovery speed like that,” Beane said after selecting Hairston 30th overall.
“Some guys run fast, like they run track fast, but they don’t play fast,” he added. “And you’re always looking to add speed as long as the football player matches it.”
Listed at 5-11 and 182 pounds, Hairston ran the fasted 40 of any player at the combine in being timed at 4.28 seconds.
Production-wise, he led the SEC as a sophomore in 2023 with five interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns. He had only one interception last year plus two forced fumbles in seven starts while missing five due to a shoulder injury.
Aside from speed, Hairston brings an infectious personality and joked about knowing what is expected from him in joining the quarterback Josh Allen-led five-time defending AFC East champions.
“I bring juice, I bring being a good teammate, I bring leadership,” said Hairston, who is from West Bloomfield, Michigan. “And I’m going to bring Josh Allen the ball back.”
Hairston joins a team with a hole at cornerback opposite returning starter Christian Benford.
Buffalo elected against re-signing starter Rasul Douglas last month, while also electing to move on from Kaiir Elam by trading the third-year player to Dallas last month. And Hairston became the first defensive player the Bills selected with their first pick in the draft since taking Elam at No. 23 in 2022.
Buffalo added veteran depth at the position with the free-agent additions of Tre’Davious White and Dane Jackson, who both rejoin the team after a one-year absence.
Though Hairston will have a shot to compete for a starting job, the veteran depth provides the Bills a level of insurance to ease in the rookie, who Beane said still needs to develop his tackling skills — something the team demands out of its cornerbacks.
“I think he is a willing tackler,” Beane said, noting Hairston has already started bulking up. “It’s not from a lack of effort. And he’s got the coverage skills, ball skills that you look for in a corner.”
On Thursday, Hairston was the fourth cornerback selected in the first round, including No. 2 pick Travis Hunter who also plays receiver.
By filling a position of need and with Buffalo having a first-round grade on Hairston, Beane said he elected to make the selection rather than trading back as he did twice in moving entirely out of the first round a year ago.
“We didn’t want to commit to that until we saw what was there on the board,” Beane said. “We had options to go back, but we had a good grade on Max. We’re excited that he was available.”
Maxwell Hairston made history for Kentucky football on Thursday.
A 5-foot-11, 183-pound defensive back, Hairston went to the Buffalo Bills with the No. 30 pick in the first round of this year’s NFL draft.
It’s noteworthy because he becomes the first UK defensive back selected in the first round of the NFL draft.
Prior to Hairston, the Wildcats hadn’t produced a first-round pick since 2021, when linebacker Jamin Davis went to Washington (No. 19 overall).
Max š¤ Bills Mafia pic.twitter.com/V051eBdlxH
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) April 25, 2025
Hairston was the fourth defensive back off the board in Thursday’s first round; Colorado superstar Travis Hunter, who also plays wide receiver, was the second overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Texas’ Jahdae Barron went to the Denver Broncos at No. 20 and the Baltimore Ravens selected Georgia’s Malaki Starks with the 27th pick.
After he bounded across the stage in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Hairston was beaming.
“Buffalo, they’re getting the ultimate competitor, the ultimate teammate — and they’re getting somebody that’s gonna give Josh Allen the ball back!” Hairston said in an interview with ESPN’s Molly McGrath, referring to the Bills’ franchise quarterback.
In Buffalo, Hairston will reunite with a former Kentucky teammate: Ray Davis, who had a record-setting season at running back in his one-year stint in Lexington in 2023.
Hairston ended his time at UK having appeared in 32 games, with 20 starts. He tallied 89 tackles (2.5 for loss) to go along with one sack, 10 pass breakups, six interceptions and three forced fumbles.
Hairston returned three interceptions for touchdowns, which matched Dallas Owens (1974-77) for the program record. Two of Hairston’s pick sixes occurred in the same game — a 45-28 win at Vanderbilt in 2023. Not only did that set a single-game school mark in that category but Hairston also equaled an SEC record, putting him alongside Florida’s Joe Brodsky (versus Mississippi State in 1956), Georgia’s Jake Scott (versus UK in 1968) and Darryl Gamble (versus LSU in 2008), Mississippi State’s Johnthan Banks (versus Florida in 2009) and Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick (versus Texas A&M in 2015).
Hailing from West Bloomfield, Michigan, Hairston was a three-star prospect in the 2021 class, per the 247Sports Composite.
As a senior at West Bloomfield High in 2020, Hairston played both ways. On offense, he had 500 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Defensively, he collected 23 tackles, 16 pass breakups, three interceptions and three forced fumbles.
For his efforts, he was a first-team all-state selection by both the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News.
The Lakers also experienced success during Hairston’s senior season, capturing the Division I state championship.