Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston is a competitive and athletic corner who could be a surprise first round pick for the Broncos

The talented and speedy cornerback could be a dark horse pick for the Broncos in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft

One prospect the Denver Broncos are showing interest in and hosted for a top-30 pre-draft visit with is Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston. He is a 6’0”. 183-pound cornerback who is viewed as one of the top secondary players in the draft. The Athletic’s lead draft analyst, Dane Brugler, has Hairston graded as his 35th overall player in the 2025 NFL Draft and ranked him as the 4th best corner in this draft class.

He played a total of three seasons at Kentucky and was an impact shutdown cornerback for them. During his three seasons, he totaled 89 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 3 forced fumbles, 6 interceptions, and 16 pass deflections. This past year, he played in a total of 7 games and totaled 19 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles, 5 pass deflections, and 1 interception.

Player Profile

Maxwell Hairston | Cornerback | Kentucky

• Height: 6’0”
• Weight: 183 pounds
• Hands: 8 ³⁄₄ inches
• Arm Length: 31 ¹⁄₂ inches
• Wingspan: 76 5/8 inches
• Age: 21 years old
• 40-Yard Dash: 4.28 seconds
• 10-Yard Split: 1.53 seconds
• Vertical Jump: 39 ¹⁄₂ inches
• Broad Jump: 10’9”

Film Room

Scouting Report

Strengths

• Fluid athlete with elite athleticism and speed (4.28 40-time at the Combine)
• Good size and length for a cornerback
• Competitive player who will speak is mind is a bit of an asshole out there
• top-notch ball-skills
• Has a nose for the ball and made impact plays throughout his career
• Changes direction easily and has quick, nimble feet
• Despite being a smaller corner, he is physical at the LOS
• Played a lot of zone in college, but has the ability to play man as well
• Good read and react skills
• Ballhawking corner, who is dangerous with the ball in his hands
• A willing run defender despite his size

Weaknesses

• Lighter corner with a slender frame
• He’s a physical corner but may struggle against bigger and stronger WR’s in the NFL
• While a willing run defender, his size could limit his effectiveness
• Can be overaggressive at times
• Needs to be a better wrap-up tackler
• Missed time last season due to a shoulder injury
• Never really played in the slot

Maxwell Hairston’s RAS

What other analysts are saying about Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston

The Athletic’s lead draft analyst, Dane Brugler, on CB Maxwell Hairston

A two-year starter at Kentucky, Hairston was the field cornerback in defensive coordinator Brad White’s scheme with a balanced mix of man and zone. He put himself on the NFL radar with an SEC-best five interceptions in 2023 and tied the school record with three career pick-sixes. A fluid mover with A-plus speed, Hairston moves fairly effortlessly in all areas of the field. He plays to his help in man-to-man coverage while also showing conviction and awareness in Cover 3. He is a natural at making plays at the catch point, but he’s also more scrappy than strong, which will show against physical NFL receivers and in run support.

Overall, Hairston is a competitive, lanky athlete who feels routes developing around him and plays with the reactionary movements and ball skills to fit a variety of coverages. If he makes the necessary improvements as a tackler, he has the talent to become a capable NFL starter early in his career.

NFL Network’s lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah on CB Maxwell Hairston

Hairston is a lean, athletic cornerback with ideal play speed and fluidity. In press coverage, he incorporates a one-hand jam before turning and carrying vertical routes. He has plenty of burst/speed. In off coverage, he likes to settle and catch receivers at the break point. He’ll need to play cleaner with his hands down the field at the next level. In Kentucky’s defense, he rolled back to play in the middle of the field versus certain formations/motions, but he was late to diagnose and react from that alignment. He’s willing in run support and is a dynamic blitzer. He was limited to seven games this past season due to a shoulder injury, which impacted his tackling. He had a very productive 2023 season (five interceptions) but wasn’t targeted much in the games I studied from this past year. Overall, Hairston offers an enticing blend of movement skills and production.

Final Thoughts

I like Hairston as a prospect, but I don’t really view cornerback as a big need for the Broncos.

Obviously, reigning Defensive Player of the Year CB Pat Surtain II leads this group, but both Riley Moss and Ja’Quan McMillian played well last season. Moss did struggle coming off his injury, but overall, he played well last season. Meanwhile, McMillian is an affordable slot corner who has held his own the past few seasons. Then you have 2024 Kris Abrams-Draine, who really impressed while playing for the injured Riley Moss late in the year. So, the Broncos have a solid group of young corners already.

With that said, the AFC is loaded with explosive offenses and some of the best quarterbacks and playmakers in the league. You need all the talented defensive players you can get to try to slow down these offenses.

I expect the Broncos to add a late-round corner or maybe a priority undrafted free agent, but spending a first or second-round pick on one would be a surprise. Hairston projects as a late 1st round to early second-round pick, so we’ll have to see how much the Broncos like him.