Kentucky Wildcats cornerback Maxwell Hairston lit up the NFL Scouting Combine with his athleticism but was more worried about the NFL Network camera angle.
Maxwell Hairston Dropped Jaws With Lightning 40-Yard Dash but Wished the Camera Zoomed Out
The NFL Scouting Combine has been as exciting as ever, with the next line of NFL stars hoping to impress scouts as they gear up for the draft in late April.
Kentucky Wildcats star cornerback Maxwell Hairston certainly did that by dropping the quickest 40-yard dash time of all the players at 4.28 seconds. After blitzing the competition and leaving flames behind him, Hairston spoke to NFL Network and was more concerned about how he was looking that his performance.
“The zooming in on my face was a little too much for my comfort but even during the drills they had me on the big screen they was so far zoomed in, I was like y’all could’ve zoomed out a little bit,” said Hairston.
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It wasn’t just the speed in which Hairston impressed, he also had a phenomenal 39.50″ vertical, second among all CBs. The explosiveness didn’t stop there with him recording a 10’9″ broad jump, third at his position and showing why he is certainly looking at a second-round draft selection.
Hairston continued to talk about his nickname “Mad Max” and how he realized he had the fight in him as a smaller guy and it has just stuck with him all the way through his college career and now heading into the NFL.
To be successful in the NFL, you need confidence and belief in yourself. Hairston again had heads turned when he “was not satisfied with a 4.30 time. The second time, I heard the reaction from the fans, and I thought I must’ve done something crazy. I looked up, and it was sub 4.29, and I was like, let’s get it.”
Hairston’s 2023 season was where he stood out as a Sophomore, making 66 total tackles, six deflected passes, one forced fumble, and five interceptions. He made Wildcats history by being the first player to return two interceptions for touchdowns in their week four win over the Vanderbilt Commodores.
However, 2024 was not such a great season for him. Due to a shoulder injury, he was only able to play in five games. They were difficult games, with the Georgia Bulldogs and Texas Longhorns amongst them, but Hairston still made 19 total tackles, including a sack, two forced fumbles, and one interception, which he again returned for a touchdown.
Where will Maxwell Hairston land in the NFL Draft?
The overall consensus with Hairston that he is one of the top CBs in the draft, but that will likely see him be taken on the second day. Travis Hunter, Jahdae Barron and Will Johnson are three names above him on all draft boards, then there is a number of players all interchangeable as to who follows them off the board.
A shortened 2024 season won’t have helped, but he showed his talent as a Sophomore, and this combine performance has caused him to gain even further attention. In zone coverage he is elite and has shown an ability to keep an eye on the quarterback while processing the routes of receivers.
Speed and overall athleticism are not an issue as shown, and that playmaking ability to not only turn the ball over but to be able to turn that into gains on points is always a huge tick on scouts reports. Despite being leaner at 183lbs he is not scared to compete and uses that ‘Mad Max’ like mentality when in man coverage.
That shoulder injury is something to be noted but there are no concerns from anyone about that but his durability at the next level will be something that teams may knock him down for. The slimmer frame does also leave him mismatched against bigger receivers and physical blockers in the run game.
As mentioned, mock drafts see him landing in a variety of places with CFN’s very own Mock Draft having the Detroit Lions selecting him in the second-round with the 60th pick. It would see him as the seventh CB off the board and that is fair with his injury-hit 2024 and lack of size possibly seeing teams turn in a different direction.
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Detroit’s secondary is one of the best in the NFL, and adding Hairston would bolster it even further. A partnership of Hairston and Terrion Arnold would be terrifying for all offenses, and a defense that was hit with a plethora of injuries, including Aidan Hutchinson, becomes even scarier in 2025.
Hairston’s ceiling is that of an All-Pro-level CB and he can certainly reach that in his career. His athleticism jumps off the page and his energy is infectious. Whoever gets him is getting a seriously talented player with all the tools to be elite.
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