There was no question that the Buffalo Bills needed a cornerback going into this past NFL Draft and instead of trading up or trading out of the first round, Brandon Beane stayed at No. 30 and selected Maxwell Hairston out of Kentucky. Hairston brings a lot of speed to the Bills’ secondary (that desperately needs it) and the hope is that Buffalo can have two CB1s on the roster with him and Christian Benford.
Hairston is expected to be the CB2 opposite of Benford, but he will of course have to earn it in training camp. There is a bit of a distraction for Hairston as he was recently named in a civil lawsuit that is from an alleged incident back in 2021 when he was at Kentucky. As that story develops and more info comes out, we will report on it.
As for the 2025 season, Hairston has a lot of potential to bring an immediate impact. However, how he will perform in a live-game will be the ultimate test. Being a first round pick means that a player should be able to provide some sort of impact right away. When it comes to Hairston, he actually has a lot more pressure to be successful right from the start just based on where the Bills are heading into this season.
Maxwell Hairston must exceed expectations in rookie season
Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports recently listed Hairston as one of the few rookies who have to deliver in their first season as a pro. Here’s a bit on what Trapasso said about Hairston going into this season:
"He's on the smaller side but when fully healthy in 2023, intercepted five passes with six pass breakups and returned two of those picks to the house. With the Bills as one of the league's Super Bowl favorites, Hairston's play in Year 1 will be under the microscope all season. "Chris Trapasso, CBS Sports
The Bills are ready to go for this season and it looks like they have all the pieces that they need in order to finally win a Super Bowl. However, cornerback was such a big need for the Bills, Hairston will now be watched every week to see how his progression is going into the long stretch of the season.
The last thing that Hairston should want is for him to be a reason why the Bills fail to make the Super Bowl, or even win it as well.