There’s no doubt that the Buffalo Bills left the first round of the NFL Draft with a stud player in Maxwell Hairston. The Kentucky cornerback not only fills a pressing need for the secondary, he also brings high energy and a skillset that not a lot of other players have. He has speed and has an act to take the ball away.
Adding Hairston now gives the Bills a true CB1/CB2 duo of him and Christian Benford for 2025 and beyond. While Tre’Davious White is back in Buffalo for another year, the Bills now don’t need him to start. Hairston can step in on day one and all of a sudden, the Bills have a young and fresh cornerback duo for the future.
Even though Bills fans should be excited about Hairston’s arrival, there is some speculation that maybe Hairston wasn’t Buffalo’s number one choice. According to Kory Woods from MLive.com in Michigan, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams (who the Lions drafted two spots ahead of the Bills) told reporters that “he was told they [Bills] were taking him if he was still on the board in the first round.”
Lions may have stolen Bills' first desired draft selection in Round 1
Hearing this report, it makes you wonder how the Bills must have felt once they learned that Williams was heading to Detroit at pick No. 28. Williams was a prospect coming into this draft that would be able to make an impact no matter the team that drafted him. He’s a true 1-technique player who can help stuff the run.
The Lions were clearly looking to add to their defensive line and quite frankly, them getting Williams is a huge acquisition for them. As for Buffalo, if this is indeed true, they pivoted quickly to select Hairston. However, it made more sense for the Bills to go with a corner in the first round because it was more of a pressing need.
While the Bills should be addressing the defensive tackle position tonight, them going with Williams at No. 30 would have potentially hurt them big time as far as missing out on the cornerback talent. Who knows if this statement from Williams is accurate or not, but it does make you wonder how the Bills’ draft class could have played out if they went with Williams over Hairston.