The Buffalo Bills needed to address their secondary after giving up the ninth-most passing yards and the eighth-most passing touchdowns in 2024. They also need to find a reliable complement for Christian Benford on the outside. Rasul Douglas remains unsigned, while the Bills brought back Tre’Davious White, who is currently on the decline.
Because of this, the front office selected a cornerback in the first round.
The Buffalo Bills drafted an SEC star
The Buffalo Bills drafted former Kentucky Wildcats standout Maxwell Hairston 30th overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He rose on draft boards because of his impressive performance at the combine, running a blazing 4.28 40-yard dash, the fastest at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. Hairston also gained nine pounds after weighing in at 183 pounds, which should allow him to remain on the outside.
Maxwell Hairston had a solid redshirt junior season but missed five consecutive games from Weeks 5 to 9 with a shoulder injury. He recorded 19 tackles, one interception, one pick-six, and four pass deflections in seven games. Hairston gave up a 54.5% completion percentage, 262 passing yards, zero touchdowns, and a 78.2 passer rating.
Buffalo Bills ink defensive back to a fully guaranteed contract
According to Ian Rapoport, the Bills and Maxwell Hairston have agreed to a four-year rookie contract worth a fully guaranteed $15.2 million. As Spotrac projects, he will have a $2.77 million cap hit in Year 1, $3.46 million in Year 2, $4.15 million in Year 3, and $4.84 million in Year 4. Since he is a first-round pick, Hairston will have a fully guaranteed 5th-year option due in May 2028 for the 2029 season.
The #Bills signed CB Maxwell Hairston to his 4-year, $15.2M contract. https://t.co/KPlYEu5I7E
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 13, 2025
Here’s Lance Zierlein’s scouting report
“Slender outside cornerback with long arms and impressive ball production. Hairston is capable of playing all forms of zone and man coverage. He anticipates well with his eyes forward and has the burst to take the ball away, posting six interceptions (three returned for TDs) over his last 20 games.
“He stays connected in man coverage with good agility and fluidity but needs to do a better job of locating the football downfield. He will struggle to contest big wideouts and his run support will turn off some teams. Hairston has the athleticism and on-ball talent to become a starter, but he needs to prove he can hold up to the rigors and physicality of the NFL game.”
