The first round of the NFL Draft is officially completed and the Buffalo Bills are leaving Round 1 with a cornerback in Maxwell Hairston from Kentucky. The Bills stayed put at No. 30 and got their guy with Hairston, who is joining the Bills’ secondary that has had a big need at their CB2 position.
Even though the Bills signed Tre’Davious White last week to a one-year deal, Hairston is now viewed as the future with Christian Benford. Hairston provides a lot of speed and can stick with receivers to force incompletion and jump ball situations.
Now the Bills still have nine picks to utilize for the next two days and they have a strong start to their draft class so far. They will have a little bit more freedom to fill out the rest of their roster. Maybe they should strongly consider getting some extra help on the defensive tackle, but other than that, they have a ton or choices to pick from for the rest of the roster.
After Hairston was drafted, he almost immediately started talking to the media to get his introduction to the Bills. One of the questions that was asked of Hairston was basically what is Buffalo getting with him. His answer is exactly what Bills fans, and Josh Allen, should want to hear.
According to Alex Brasky, Hairston said “Someone to get Josh Allen the ball back.” There couldn’t have been a more perfect reaction from the rookie.
New #Bills CB Maxwell Hairston on what BUF is getting: “Someone to get Josh Allen the ball back.”
— alex brasky (@alexbrasky) April 25, 2025
Hairston recorded 3 interceptions returned for TDs the past two seasons #BillsMafia
With Hairston having a couple of pick-sixes the last few seasons, he should be able to help create turnovers and put the ball in Josh Allen’s hands. The Bills have had a tough time creating defensive stops, especially in the playoffs. The last thing we need to see is Allen and the offense lighting up the scoreboard, but seeing the defense giving up big yards and points that puts pressure on Allen.
With having Hairston now in the mix, the Bills have another option to use to stabilize the secondary for 2025 and the future. They already have Benford for another four extra years after agreeing to a four-year extension. Now they have Hairston on a cheap rookie contract and can help develop him into an impactful starter as quickly as this season.