4 things to know: Bills draft pick CB Maxwell Hairston

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) — For the first time in four years, the Buffalo Bills did not move up or down in the first round of the NFL draft. With the 30th overall selection, the Bills addressed a position of need by drafting cornerback Maxwell Hairston from Kentucky.

Here's four things to know about the newest Bill.

Max speed

Hairston infuses Buffalo's secondary with velocity. He was the fastest man at this year's scouting combined, running the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds and reaching a top speed of 24.25 mph. The 5-foot-11 Hairston also had the second-best vertical jump at his position (39 1/2 inches) and tied for third in the broad jump (10-9).

"He'll add obviously speed to our DB room and we think he'll pair well with what we already have," Bills general manager Brandon Beane said.

For the sake of comparison, cornerback Kaiir Elam, the Bills' first pick in 2022, ran the 40 in 4.39 seconds, and 2017 first-rounder Tre'Davious White was clocked at 4.47. However, breakneck speed is not a requirement to succeed in Buffalo's defense, as starter Christian Benford has developed into a cornerstone despite running a 4.6 before getting drafted in the sixth round in 2022.

Beane said Hairston doesn't just run fast in shorts — he plays with speed that matches his 40 time.

"Some guys run fast, like they run track fast, but they don't play fast," Beane said. "I don't know if I could say 4.26, but you saw 4.3 on film as a player. And you're always looking to add speed as long as the football player matches it."

'Infectious personality'

Nicknamed "Mad Max," Hairston's displayed his charisma during the draft broadcast. Wearing a resplendent silver and blue suit jacket lined with family photos, Hairston appeared several times congratulating fellow prospects who got drafted before him. After getting picked by the Bills, he gave a bubbly interview to NFL Network.

"If you guys were watching the TV, you could see his infectious personality and smile," Beane said. "He's a good kid."

Drafting a player out of Kentucky in consecutive years, the Bills got a personality scouting report from Hairston's former teammate, running back Ray Davis.

"We asked Ray about him," Beane said. "Ray speaks very highly of him. We always try to do that with players that play with guys on our team, that know kind of the Bills' culture and how we do things."

Ball skills

Hairston led the SEC in 2023 with five interceptions in 13 games, two of which he returned for touchdowns. He missed five games with a shoulder injury last year and scored on his only INT in seven games to tie the Wildcats' pick-six record.

Despite the shortened season, Hairston still earned second-team All-SEC recognition. The previous season, he was an honorable mention All-American along with All-SEC second team.

Beane also described Hairston as a "willing tackler," who is bulking up from his listed collegiate playing weight of 182 pounds. But physicality is not the strength of his game.

"He's got the obviously coverage skills, ball skills that you look for in a corner," Beane said.

CB choice

Boundary cornerback was perhaps Buffalo's biggest need going into the draft. And there were a number of options available to the Bills when it came time to pick. That included Michigan's Will Johnson, once considered a top 10 prospect before sliding in rank due to a knee ailment, Trey Amos from Ole Miss, Jahdae Barron from Texas, and Azareye'h Thomas from Florida State.

"We thought there would be some good options for us tonight," Beane said. "We didn't necessarily think we would need to trade back or trade up, and being patient paid off. I know we usually do trade, or I usually do trade. We had opportunities both ways, but liked what was there."

South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori, a popular mock draft selection for the Bills, also was available, along with linebackers Jihaad Campbell from Alabama and Carson Schewsiner from UCLA, edge rushers Donovan Ezeiruaku from Boston College and Mike Green from Marshall. Campbell was drafted with the next pick by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, but the rest of those players remain on the board for the Bills to potentially trade up and select early on the second day of the draft.

One person who anticipated the Bills selecting Hairston if he was available: WIVB sports director Josh Reed, who chose the cornerback during the BKL Mock Draft special.