2025 NFL Draft prospect profile – Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky

Could the Giants reunite Mad Max with Dru Phillips?

The 2025 NFL Draft is a very strong one on defense, though it’s the front seven that’s getting most of the buzz.

Injuries to some of the top cornerback prospects has that position group in a somewhat “out of sight, out of mind” situation. However, there are multiple corners in this class who not only have starting upside, but could be very good starters at the next level.

Kentucky’s Maxwell Hairston came into the 2024 season off of a breakout sophomore campaign that saw him nab five (5) interceptions and return two for touchdowns. However, a shoulder injury cost him a significant chunk of the season, and he fell off the national radar. He burst back in a big way at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine with a stand-out workout.

The New York Giants have a history of drafting out of the University of Kentucky, and it’s possible that Hairston caught their eye when they were scouting Dru Phillips. The value might not line up for them unless they move around the draft board, but could the Giants want to pair the two Wildcats again?

Prospect: Maxwell Hairston (1)
Games Watched: vs. Georgia (2023), vs. Missouri (2023), vs. South Carolina (2024)
Red Flags: Shoulder (2024)

Measurables

Kent Lee Platte | RAS.football

Strengths

Best traits

• Athleticism
• Ball skills
• Versatility
• Tackling

Maxwell Hairston is an athletic, versatile, and dangerous cornerback prospect.

Hairston is one of the most athletic players in the entire 2025 draft class, and is an elite athlete for the position. He combines great long speed and explosiveness with prototypical quickness, agility, and fluidity. Hairston has the ability to run with any receiver down the field, as well as stay in phase with agile slot receivers through their routes.

He’s an effortless mover who can quickly open his hips and change direction, as well as carry speed when transitioning from his backpedal to running.

Hairston is skilled in zone coverage as well as man coverage, and can play either at a high level. He has an efficient, compact backpedal which allows him to get good depth in zone coverage as well as avoid opening his hips in man coverage for as long as possible. He has a solid understanding of route concepts and does a good job staying in tight coverage in man coverage or pattern matching rules, while also avoiding schemed traffic.

He’s a disciplined and patient defender who doesn’t bite hard or early on misdirection, while his explosiveness allows him to quickly close on the ball.

Hairston isn’t tall at 5-foot 11 ¼ inches, but he does have long arms for his height. That’s allowed him to get 6 interceptions and 10 passes defensed over the last 20 games. He also has very good ball skills, locating and tracking the ball in the air like a receiver. Between his ball skills and raw athleticism, it isn’t a big surprise that he’s had three defensive touchdowns over the last two years as well.

Finally, Hairston is a factor coming downhill as well. He’s a good, reliable tackler who’s able to get much larger ball carriers on the ground without waiting for help to arrive. He’s also a capable blitzer, though he didn’t do it often. He usually takes smart angles to the ball, and his speed allows him to beat blockers to their landmarks, as well as adding power to his hits.

Weaknesses

Worst traits

• Mass
• Commitment speed

Hairston has two primary weaknesses in his game.

The first is his frame and size, he can’t really do much about that. He has an undeniably thin frame and probably won’t be able to add much – if any – mass to his frame without sacrificing his athleticism. And considering his game is based on raw athleticism, that’s a poor trade-off.

Hairston’s future team will likely have to live with him possibly struggling to take on blockers on the perimeter or not being able to play press-man coverage against big receivers.

His second weakness is a tendency to trust his athletic ability a bit too much, and it’s a bit of a double-edged blade in that regard.

Hairston is a very patient corner, trusting his athleticism to allow him to recover and still make a play at the catch point. However, particularly athletic receivers can make him pay for that, and he needs to be more consistently proactive in coverage.

Game Tape

(Hairston is the Kentucky cornerback wearing number 1 with black sleeves.)

Projection

Maxwell Hairston projects as a starting cornerback at the NFL level with the versatility to play in any scheme, as well as shadow receivers in the slot or out wide.

His future defense will need to be a bit smart in how they scheme him, and avoid putting him in bad positions against much bigger receivers. Likewise, they’ll want to use him in ways that allow his ball skills to shine, as Hairston is a legitimate threat to create game-changing plays.

He should be a starter immediately upon entering the NFL, and has the chance to be a Pro Bowl caliber player early on in his career.

Does he fit the Giants?
Yes, though the value may not

Final Word: A first round talent