Bills First Rnd pick in 2025 draft: Maxwell Hairston - CB - Kentucky

[Simon]

12 minutes ago, HamptonBillsfan said:

He would have been a top 5 pick before his injury. Bills fans can’t use injuries because Hairston had one too

 

Your insistence on repeatedly drawing equal comparisons between a single shoulder injury and a degenerative knee condition for no other purpose than to sustain a comically bad narrative tells all of us everything that we need to know about your clear agenda.

[HamptonBillsfan]

15 minutes ago, Cash said:

 

I wound up talking myself into wanting a CB with our first pick - unless someone like Golden or one of the pass rushers fell, or maybe if Malaki Starks fell.  #1 thing I wanted was a player who will make a positive impact.  I think Hairston has a great chance to do that.  I also don't mind that only Hunter and Barron went before him.  The Bills can say whatever they want, but they clearly had McDuffie ranked over Elam back then, and if they'd beat the Chiefs to the punch that would've been a great pick.

 

For me, I keep coming back to the most killer stat from the end of last season - Mahomes averaging something like 2.5 seconds to get the ball out.  Put simply, there is no pass rush that's going to consistently get to the QB that fast.  That's not to say I'm against fortifying the d-line, because I am.  There's all kinds of benefits to having a great d-line.  But we could've brought in 2007 Giants d-line via a time machine, and it wouldn't have made a difference in that game.

And you know that how? Brady was better than Mahomes and got rid of the ball faster with better receivers and O-line.

[Alphadawg7]

6 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I did not want Khalil fudging Mack. I wanted Mike Evans. More than I think I have ever wanted any draft prospect before or since.

 

Sadly I wanted Watkins  

 

 

That being said, I also loved Evans, he was my 2nd crush.  Watkins edged him out for me as I just thought he was more complete and the best playmaker in the draft.  Had no idea he was going to be so mentally soft and lack drive.

 

Despite my slight edge towards Watkins, I did still love Evans...I kept telling everyone - Manziel is a 4th round pick without Mike Evans, he made Manziel.  

 

I would have been fine with Mack, but I wanted a WR in the worst way, I was so sick of inept offense.

[Doc]

13 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

That's only average height relative to the position in the NFL I think is what he means.

 

Fair enough.  I looked at the Pro Bowl CBs from last year and most were in the 5'11"-6' range.  So that's good.

 

And apparently Beane said he's already in the 190# range.  That's also good.  He can add weight and should still be in the 4.3 range.

 

Edited 19 hours ago by Doc

[Sierra Foothills]

1 hour ago, BearNorth said:

This is from his coaching Bio.  1989 Combine was coaches only, not a media event like today.

 

He was invited to NFL combine trials in Indianapolis in 1989 where he (and Deion Sanders) ran the 40-yard dash in a record-setting 4.25 seconds.

 

It would be better to copy and paste a link than write a sentence.

 

18 minutes ago, Tony P said:

From RAS Football (Relative Athletic Score):

Maxwell Hairston was drafted in round 1 with pick 30 in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 9.63 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 104 out of 2761 CB from 1987 to 2025.

 

A bit short & needs to add some weight but otheriwse, an Elite athletic profile.

 

Updated RAS

 

I don't believe that Hairston performed any of the agility drills so I think this would make his true RAS incomplete.

 

That said if you watch his combine workout, it's obvious that you're watching an elite athlete with agility in at least the 90th percentile.

 

[BillsShredder83]

10 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

That was hilarious!

Hilarious was a few seconds before the pick talking about a block of the year where he got up the field and broke a scapula and laughing lol

 

OL rule, love Dion

[Juice_32]

11 hours ago, ChevyVanMiller said:

Here’s the new CB2 in action.
 

 

 

 

Here’s the new CB2 in action.
 

 

 

Play speed matches the 40, good grief this guy is fast.

[Don Otreply]

14 minutes ago, HamptonBillsfan said:

That’s great but maybe you should have said he can draft defensive backs after the 4th round because those two examples of players no one wanted for 120 picks ,and 200 picks that  worked out. The extension of Benford is worrisome though with his two rapid fire concussions. My issue is I would gone with the Michigan corner over Hairston if injuries don’t matter.

Your takes appear to be mistaken, sure all players have flaws, that’s a given, but you are kinda jumping the shark here,  it’s as if you protest to much…, 

[Simon]

19 minutes ago, Cash said:

For me, I keep coming back to the most killer stat from the end of last season - Mahomes averaging something like 2.5 seconds to get the ball out.  Put simply, there is no pass rush that's going to consistently get to the QB that fast.  That's not to say I'm against fortifying the d-line, because I am.  There's all kinds of benefits to having a great d-line.  But we could've brought in 2007 Giants d-line via a time machine, and it wouldn't have made a difference in that game.

 

I think it's a league-wide trend that is really beginning to devalue the importance of a great DL.

While a dominating DL wouldn't have made a difference in that game, a couple skilled, aggressive corners probably would have. 

After having spent my whole life knowing that DL was the second most important unit in football, it's a very difficult mental adjustment to make.

[GunnerBill]

1 minute ago, HamptonBillsfan said:

Welcome to the world of truly loyal fans that can’t handle anything that might objectively criticize a preconceived narrative. Will Johnson was a better pick according to many.  He would have been a top 5 pick before his injury. Bills fans can’t use injuries because Hairston had one too

 

 

Just on the Johnson point, the two are different. Both had injuries last year, that is true. 

 

Hairston had shoulder injury, is recovered.

 

Johnson has a degenerative knee condition and the last surgery had took fibres from his good knee to try and repair the damaged knee. I imagine he has been taken off a LOT of teams' boards as a result. Add to that his speed was a legit concern before the injuries (and I think would have meant he was never in reality a top 5 pick anyway). 

 

Don't get me wrong, tape grade I still had Johnson over Hairston. I had Revel over him too while you are at it. But both have significant injury red flags. Such that the entire NFL passed on them in round 1 because the risk is too great.

[Nihilarian]

5 minutes ago, HamptonBillsfan said:

Welcome to the world of truly loyal fans that can’t handle anything that might objectively criticize a preconceived narrative. Will Johnson was a better pick according to many.  He would have been a top 5 pick before his injury. Bills fans can’t use injuries because Hairston had one too

 

There must be something up with Johnson when his college coach passed on him. Perhaps the 20% missed tackle rate has something to do with it?

 

Plus, Mad Max can also play press man so can see why the Bills went this way. 

[GunnerBill]

7 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Sadly I wanted Watkins  

 

 

That being said, I also loved Evans, he was my 2nd crush.  Watkins edged him out for me as I just thought he was more complete and the best playmaker in the draft.  Had no idea he was going to be so mentally soft and lack drive.

 

Despite my slight edge towards Watkins, I did still love Evans...I kept telling everyone - Manziel is a 4th round pick without Mike Evans, he made Manziel.  

 

I would have been fine with Mack, but I wanted a WR in the worst way, I was so sick of inept offense.

 

Yea I was the other way around I was Evans then Sammy. I wanted no part of Khalil Mack, Eric Ebron or Anthony Barr.

8 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

Fair enough.  I looked at the Pro Bowl CBs from last year and most were in the 5'11"-6' range.  So that's good.

 

And apparently Beane said he's already in the 190# range.  That's also good.  He can add weight and should still be in the 4.3 range.

 

 

Yea what RAS does it it assesses you against the data points going back X number of years. And 5'11 for a corner in that time range is average. Same as 4.28 fourty yard dash against the same data points is elite.

[Dunkirk Donski]

14 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

Your insistence on repeatedly drawing equal comparisons between a single shoulder injury and a degenerative knee condition for no other purpose than to sustain a comically bad narrative tells all of us everything that we need to know about your clear agenda.

Not to mention the shoulder injury turned into an infection

[Ennjay]

11 hours ago, Generic_Bills_Fan said:

BR is a mess 😂 

I absolutely agree.  I was trying to have fun with it but sometimes fun at midnight isn't as funny as you (that is, I) think it is.

[Simon]

Just now, Dunkirk Donski said:

Not to mention the shoulder injury turned into an infection

 

From a dirty needle, no less.

He was probably taken off everybody's draft boards except for those stupid Bills.

[Luka]

48 minutes ago, Logic said:

Yeah. While some may have preferred other positions, anyone who complains about taking a corner after watching Kaiir Elam get absolutely smoked in the AFCCG last year should probably have his head examined.

The Bills were DREADFUL on 3rd down last year, and it probably cost them a Super Bowl berth. Corner was so clearly a need, and the guy they filled that need with was a "swing for the fences" type pick who has playmaking potential we haven't seen from a Bills corner in years. 

 

Benford and Johnson weren't any better. Plus there's a complete lack of competent safety play so that really amplifies any little mistake made by our corners.

[mannc]

Does anyone know if Hairston returned punts at Kentucky?  With his speed and ball skills, it seems like something that should be considered...

[benderbender]

Nothing but impressed so far. From Max hyping up those drafted before him, to him taking selfies with Bills fans at the draft, to his jacket with his family photos sewn in, it is impossible to not like him at this point.

[RichRiderBills]

I preferred Shavon Ravel. I like his story rather than these portal mad SEC guys. Plus bigger and more balanced. Give me a guy who worked at an Amazon warehouse, not some NAL dude w nothing to lose. 

[SoonerBillsFan]

19 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

I think it's a league-wide trend that is really beginning to devalue the importance of a great DL.

While a dominating DL wouldn't have made a difference in that game, a couple skilled, aggressive corners probably would have. 

After having spent my whole life knowing that DL was the second most important unit in football, it's a very difficult mental adjustment to make.

I am 100% with you, it's a tough afjustment.   Would you agree with me we need to get a guy on Day 2 that can pressure from the inside.

 

Philly brought it from all 4 in the Superbowl, but against us I have seen mahomes too many times just step up and throw or run because he eluded the outside rush.

 

Pressure in his,and Tom Bradys face against the Giants,made a huge difference. 

26 minutes ago, Nelius said:

Every single team passed on Johnson and may do so again. You have no idea of the extent of his injuries. You didn’t even know his name two posts ago.

The guys at NFL Network said arpund 1st round, it's a degenerative issue that may shorten his career.

Edited 19 hours ago by SoonerBillsFan