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

[bills6969]

Love this kid already.  Looks like he’s going to be a strong leader on this team.

 

btw,  whats up with Abdul Carter showing no love to Max

[Doc Brown]

3 hours ago, No_Matter_What said:

That's the way Beane talks and rightfully so.

 

I almost 100% expect Hairston to start, but we just signed Tre. Do you expect Beane to say that Hairston is already a pencilled starter?

It's never been a mystery to me how McDermott operates.  He doesn't care if you're a rookie or not but he'll put in the player that he thinks will best help him win the game.

[Simon]

3 minutes ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

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

 

It still makes a huge difference but without quick, hard coverage to complement it the QB ends up with an easy out before the pressure has time to get home.

DL is still the second most important unit imo, but offensive systems are so efficient now that DLs can't do it on thier own anymore and it's just not as cut and dried as it used to be.

[MrEpsYtown]

6 minutes ago, RichRiderBills said:

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. 

 

Hairston stayed at Kentucky all three years. Big time production in the SEC. Revel is very interesting, but played against Campbell and Florida Atlantic. 

 

Similar athletes, Revel has more length, a serious injury, and played lesser competition. 

 

I like Revel a lot too. But it makes sense that the Bills had Hairston higher. 

Edited 20 hours ago by MrEpsYtown

[SoonerBillsFan]

1 minute ago, bills6969 said:

Love this kid already.  Looks like he’s going to be a strong leader on this team.

 

btw,  whats up with Abdul Carter showing no love to Max

This young man was genuinely happy for those getting drafted.  That is a damn good young man.

[Shaw66]

38 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.

Thanks for this. I've said before that I very much wanted the bills to get a difference maker somewhere. A guy that teams have to plan for. I've always thought that guy was an interior lineman, particularly a one-tech tackle.

 

Generally, I don't think cornerbacks can be maker  makers, and I doubt Hairston will be one, particularly in McDermott's D.

 

However, I agree with what you said, because the lineman disappeared off the board so quickly that it simply wasn't possible to get up into the draft far enough to get a guy who projected as a difference maker.  The next best choice was a really good defensive player at almost any position, and it seems like that's what they got. Of course, he has to show he can do it, but he projects as a guy who can be very valuable in McDermott's defense. I haven't read the entire thread, and I don't know what others have said, but I haven't seen anyone just making the comment about the fact that Houston's speed alone makes him a special threat on corner blitzes. Unblocked, he can get to the QB fast.

 

He looks like the kind of guy who McDermott can use as a weapon all over the field. He could be a better version of Tre White at White's best. I like the pick and I think we're going to be happy that Hairston is on the team.

[GunnerBill]

Just now, MrEpsYtown said:

 

Hairston stayed at Kentucky all three years. Big time production in the SEC. Revel is very interesting, but played against Campbell and Florida Atlantic. 

 

Similar athletes, Revel has more length, a serious injury, and played lesser competition. 

 

Yea. I said this on the pod with Gonzo. I liked Revel's tape. He was a borderline 1st and my 19th overall player. But when you have a choice between slightly more impressive film but older, coming off an ACL and playing lesser competition a GM has to factor that into his selection process.

[SoonerBillsFan]

2 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

It still makes a huge difference but without quick, hard coverage to complement it the QB ends up with an easy out before the pressure has time to get home.

DL is still the second most important unit imo, but offensive systems are so efficient now that DLs can't do it on thier own anymore and it's just not as cut and dried as it used to be.

This is a draft where I wish we had 1-2 3rd round picks and another 2nd.  Lots of talent.

 

I would double dip at CB,grab a 1 tech, a Safety and WR.  

1 minute ago, Shaw66 said:

Thanks for this. I've said before that I very much wanted the bills to get a difference maker somewhere. A guy that teams have to plan for. I've always thought that guy was an interior lineman, particularly a one-tech tackle.

 

Generally, I don't think cornerbacks can be maker  makers, and I doubt Hairston will be one, particularly in McDermott's D.

 

However, I agree with what you said, because the lineman disappeared off the board so quickly that it simply wasn't possible to get up into the draft far enough to get a guy who projected as a difference maker.  The next best choice was a really good defensive player at almost any position, and it seems like that's what they got. Of course, he has to show he can do it, but he projects as a guy who can be very valuable in McDermott's defense. I haven't read the entire thread, and I don't know what others have said, but I haven't seen anyone just making the comment about the fact that Houston's speed alone makes him a special threat on corner blitzes. Unblocked, he can get to the QB fast.

 

He looks like the kind of guy who McDermott can use as a weapon all over the field. He could be a better version of Tre White at White's best. I like the pick and I think we're going to be happy that Hairston is on the team.

He is the same height as Tre, but more weight and way faster.  Tre was 176 at the combine if I remember correctly. 

[gonzo1105]

9 minutes ago, RichRiderBills said:

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. 

Well Hairston committed to Kentucky and stayed at Kentucky so he never portaled in his college  career 

[Prospector]

11 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

Glad he didn't ask for the playbook on the plane ride over.

He did bring 2 notebooks to the interview at the combine though

[Cash]

28 minutes ago, Sierra Foothills said:

 

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.

 

 

Thank you.  In general, I'm really sick of these partial-testing "RAS" numbers being thrown around.  The agility drills are there to measure a major part of a prospect's athletic profile.  If a guy skips them, we don't really know his RAS, because the agility numbers are a significant component of RAS.  Good grief!

 

Now, speaking of Hairston specifically, I don't care what his real RAS would be, because he's very clearly a premier athlete when you see his combine workout or game highlights.  Dude is both quick and fast, changes direction well, and looks super fluid.  Some guys run track much better than they run football, and their 40 times are usually misleading.  Hairston's highlights look like a guy with 4.28 speed.

[Shaw66]

3 minutes ago, Simon said:

 

It still makes a huge difference but without quick, hard coverage to complement it the QB ends up with an easy out before the pressure has time to get home.

DL is still the second most important unit imo, but offensive systems are so efficient now that DLs can't do it on thier own anymore and it's just not as cut and dried as it used to be.

I think the formula still works, however. If you have a front four that can get to the quarterback, if they can win and generate pressure, then the defense can begin to pull the back seven up tighter on the line of scrimmage and create more risk on the quick throws. Then the quarterback is under a lot of pressure, because The automatic short throw stops being quite so automatic. Once the QB pump fakes and waits for the double move, for example, somebody on the defensive line is beginning to apply pressure, and now the offense is in some trouble. I don't think there's any other way to play the game. 

 

Plus, if Bosa is healthy and the old Bosa, once in awhile Rousseau is going to be dropping into coverage and the Bills will be rushing three, still threatening to get it the quarterback with Bosa and adding a big, tall, mobile defender in the short passing lanes. 

 

Hairston can help with all of this because he looks to be able to play press coverage and cut off some of the quick passing opportunities.

3 minutes ago, Cash said:

 

 

Now, speaking of Hairston specifically, I don't care what his real RAS would be, because he's very clearly a premier athlete when you see his combine workout or game highlights.  Dude is both quick and fast, changes direction well, and looks super fluid.  Some guys run track much better than they run football, and their 40 times are usually misleading.  Hairston's highlights look like a guy with 4.28 speed.

You're right about this. You don't have to watch very much video of the guy to understand that he is an extraordinary athletic talent. Both his speed and his quickness are breathtaking, and he looks like he is good hands too. He's a big time athlete in a relatively small body. As Beane said, if he were 6'2 and 15 lb heavier, he would have gone way up at the top of the draft 

 

I'm excited about him. He could be really special.

[nedboy7]

“This came from someone from a team,” Cosell said. “So when people hear this, I don’t want them to think, ‘Oh, you don’t know what you’re talking about.’ This came from a team. And the guy said to me that he thought Hairston--that his tape at corner--was better than Travis Hunter’s tape at corner. So take that for whatever it’s worth, but that came from a team.”

[947]

10 minutes ago, gonzo1105 said:

Well Hairston committed to Kentucky and stayed at Kentucky so he never portaled in his college  career 

 

Yep, in his pre-draft interview outside Lambeau, he talked about how he never considered transferring to a bigger program even though he had to wait a year for his opportunity. He said committing to a program is exactly that, a "commitment", and he was determined to honor it & develop to the fullest there. He's the anti-SEC portal guy.

[Logic]

17 minutes ago, Shaw66 said:

Thanks for this. I've said before that I very much wanted the bills to get a difference maker somewhere. A guy that teams have to plan for. I've always thought that guy was an interior lineman, particularly a one-tech tackle.

 

Generally, I don't think cornerbacks can be maker  makers, and I doubt Hairston will be one, particularly in McDermott's D.

 

However, I agree with what you said, because the lineman disappeared off the board so quickly that it simply wasn't possible to get up into the draft far enough to get a guy who projected as a difference maker.  The next best choice was a really good defensive player at almost any position, and it seems like that's what they got. Of course, he has to show he can do it, but he projects as a guy who can be very valuable in McDermott's defense. I haven't read the entire thread, and I don't know what others have said, but I haven't seen anyone just making the comment about the fact that Houston's speed alone makes him a special threat on corner blitzes. Unblocked, he can get to the QB fast.

 

He looks like the kind of guy who McDermott can use as a weapon all over the field. He could be a better version of Tre White at White's best. I like the pick and I think we're going to be happy that Hairston is on the team.

As a fellow "we need a difference maker" guy, and one who also grants the difficulty of finding one at pick 30, I just wanna say...

Watching Hairston a bunch since last night, there are some game-changing type plays in his highlights. His eyes, instincts, trust in himself, and aggressiveness, combined with 4.28 speed, lead to him driving on the ball at times, picking it off and taking it to the house. When a 4.28 guy that's as aggressive as he is drives on it and picks it off, you're likely not catching him on his way to a house call.

So while most of the time the best way a corner can be a "difference maker" is to lock down his side of the field, there are occasionally guys -- Trevon Diggs, Deion Sanders, guys like that -- whose ability to intercept the ball and bring it back the other way can make a very direct and noticeable difference. And I'm definitely not saying Hairston is Deion Sanders. I'm just saying that he has some impressive plays on tape against top SEC competition, and I don't think it's crazy to think that there may be some pick-sixes in his future that swing important football games in the Bills' direction. The Bills having just one interception in the AFFCG of the variety that I saw Hairston make at times at Kentucky may have sent the Bills to the Super Bowl. 

Maybe it's the optimist in me, but I have hope that Hairston can be a legitimate playmaker. Here's hoping.

Edited 20 hours ago by Logic

[BigAl2526]

Could stand to add some lean body mass and strength and needs to work on tackling technique.  All of that is doable.  He checks most of the other boxes.  The only thing he can't add is 2 or 3 inches to his height.  He has man, press and zone coverage ability.

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

While not thrilled at the time the biggest knocks I hear are non-issues for me:

 

He can only play outside? Well it's a good thing we are loaded with nickel and dime DBs

 

He's bad at run defense? I don't want my outside CBs tackling Derrick Henry. Something else has gone wrong in that case.

 

He isn't the best tackler because he's so light, he just hurls himself at the ball carrier? Ok, bit of a problem but that can get coached up and again I don't want him on big bodied guys

 

The only hurdle I see is height, which is an issue but is mitigated by an elite vertical jump. Other than that you have someone with 99th percentile speed, led the SEC in INTs in 2024, who can play zone and man, and is excited to be here 

Edited 20 hours ago by WhitewalkerInPhilly

[Bob Chandler's Hands]

11 hours ago, Simon said:

 

The Genny Creams should get him over the top 

Let's not hurt the man. 

[Ben]

can he tackle Tyreek Hill and Xavier Worthy? Like has been said he's here to cover burners. We haven't had a guy to do that in a while. Now get a 350 pound DT and the defense looks improved pretty dramatically.

[DJB]