Maxwell Hairston

Buffalo Bills

Pos CB

Updated October 8, 2026

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Model Score

75.7 MODEL

Resting on limited playing time

2025

73.3

2026

75.7

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

Rookie tier 7 (#49) for a 30th overall pick with the 2024 First-Team All-SEC honors is below the year-one median for late-1st CB prospects on Pro Bowl trajectories. The Kentucky SEC pedigree plus the structural Bills anchor role gives him real college foundation. The 2026 question is whether Hairston crosses into tier 4-5 territory in his year-two jump or whether the structural rookie tier 7 finish becomes the realistic baseline.

Hairston came out of Kentucky as the Buffalo Bills' 1st-round pick (30th overall) in 2025 after earning 2024 First-Team All-SEC honors. The Bills installed him in the CB rotation as a rookie protecting Josh Allen's defense. His first STTM appearance comes in 2025 at tier 7 (#49), the year-one developmental band for late-1st CB prospects.

Strengths

Kentucky 2024 First-Team All-SEC honors plus the 30th overall draft slot gives him real college foundation.
Year-one starter snaps for the Bills at age 22 protecting Josh Allen's defense gives him the developmental runway.

Concerns

Rookie tier 7 (#49) is below the year-one median for late-1st CB picks on Pro Bowl trajectories.
Buffalo's cap structure around Josh Allen's QB contract limits the extension runway if the ceiling caps below the expected outcome.

What to watch: Whether Hairston crosses into tier 4 (top 30) in 2026, the standard year-two threshold for late-1st CB picks on Pro Bowl trajectories.