NFL Draft
2/1/25
6 min read
Maxwell Hairston 2025 NFL Draft: Scouting Report For Kentucky Wildcats CB
Height: 5112 (verified)
Weight: 179lbs (verified)
Year: Redshirt Junior
Pro Comparison: Jack Jones
Scouting Overview
Kentucky Wildcats cornerback Maxwell Hairston projects as a potential starting cornerback at the NFL level. Hairston boasts the vision, instincts, and ball skills of an impact player but will need to transcend some physical limitations that are in direct conflict with his style of play.
Hairston is a quick-footed defender who shines best in leveraged zones that allow him to pop and transition to an attack of the football. These instances highlight his best qualities. However, he’s not the biggest player, and his collisions in run support and at the catch point could give teams pause unless he successfully stacks weight onto his frame.
A shoulder injury cost him time in 2024, and his play was compromised when on the field. When returning from injury, he endured a significant regression in missed tackles from his breakout 2023 campaign.
2025 NFL Combine Results
TBD
Positives
- Illustrates good ball skills in zone coverage to drop off landmarks and compress throwing windows
- Possesses enough reach and wingspan to play with hands on and filter route releases to disrupt timing
- Hyper-combative demeanor allows him to punch above his weight class and make plays in the run game
Negatives
- His slender frame will be the cause of concern for both durability and consistent physicality in the pros
- Can be overaggressive at times and take gambles
- Missed a good chunk of the 2024 season with a shoulder injury
Background
Hairston is from West Bloomfield, MI, and played high school football for West Bloomfield HS. There, he was ranked as a 3-star recruit (247 Sports) as a two-way player who played wide receiver and defensive back. Hairston was an accomplished athlete in not only football but also basketball and track.
He comes from an athletic family, as he is cousins with former NFL LB Taiwan Jones (Michigan State, New York Jets) and also has a cousin who played professional basketball. Hairston’s athletic prowess saw him collect several offers for football — he ultimately chose Kentucky over schools such as Virginia Tech, Arkansas, Minnesota, and others.
Hairston redshirted his true freshman season in 2021 and then played in 12 contests for the Wildcats as a redshirt freshman in 2022. He was named a starter ahead of 2023 and was named Second Team All-SEC en route to 13 starts and five total interceptions that season. Hairston then started all seven games he played in 2024, missing nearly half the season with a reported shoulder injury. Hairston was again named Second Team All-SEC despite the missed time.
He accepted an invitation to play in the 2025 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
Tale Of The Tape
Hairston is a fiery cornerback who has showcased a savvy knack for turning over the football. Traditionalists who covet ball production will likely love his ball-hawking profile and ability to anticipate quarterback decisions while jumping-throwing windows.
He is one of those corners who simply seems to find the football. This isn’t necessarily a transcendent talent, and Hairston certainly has his limitations, but the foundation is here for him to be an NFL starter.
In the passing game, Hairston is a jitterbug changing directions, thanks to his light feet, and will do well to key the quarterback when making decisions when leveraging multiple routes. His feel of sinking and expanding based on urgency of threats highlights his understanding of spatial awareness. He isn’t always the most disciplined when he’s aligned in zone, and he can be baited by more savvy quarterbacks who understand how to sell decisions with their eyes and body. Added discipline should come with more starts — Hairston logged just 20 in college.
He is predominantly a zone player — he posted almost 400 coverage snaps across his two years as a starter playing either a variation of Cover 3 or a variation of Cover 4. Given his stature and functional strength, these coverage schemes are likely to orient best to his strengths at the NFL level as well.
He is aggressive and pops receivers when pressing to disrupt timing at the LOS or in the contact window. He is not a bigger corner, and you worry about the outlook of pressing big, physical perimeter receivers and how he may struggle to consistently get hands on them and stuff up the route.
Hairston shows rapid hand-eye coordination and good hands when attacking the football. He has largely made the most of his opportunities when getting his hands on passes and nearly had several other interceptions with batted passes that came at the fringe of his reach.
He showcases good angles when leveraged overtop of routes and the anticipation to trigger and break with suddenness. This allows him to undercut the catch point on out-breaking patterns and comebacks and try to jump the throw.
His wins are largely due to his vision, anticipation, and short-area agility. He has sufficient long speed in the open field, but open-field burners can test his recovery burst when forced to hoof it and try to recapture playing in phase once matching a route.
In the run game, Hairston is more of a scrape and support player than an aggressive fitter who is eager to step and attack the POA. He is a sufficient wrap tackler, but most of his biggest hits come in the passing game when he strikes receivers at the catch point.
Hairston showcases a willingness to stand in and square up a ball carrier but does not consistently create jarring blows or ensure there’s no added yardage after the contact. He leverages the sideline well and does a sufficient job of utilizing his length to stack blocks. His upper-body strength and ability to free himself against bigger receivers when playing off in deep thirds is something to note as a potential pain point.
Ideal Scheme Fit, Role
Hairston projects as a zone heavy scheme developmental starter. He’s feisty, combative, fearless, and agile — all qualities that can allow him to play from depth and process plays unfolding before pressing the issue in space and on the edge.
Hairston could benefit from a year of added strength development, but his eye for the game suggests he can be called upon early if necessary.
Grade: 79.50/100.00, Second Round Value
Big Board Rank: TBD
Position Rank: TBD
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