Could Maxwell Hairston Continue His Ball-Hawking for the Commanders?

Hogs Haven takes a look at 2025 NFL Draft prospects that could contribute to the Commanders

Maxwell Hairston, CB
School: Kentucky | Conference: SEC
College Experience: RS Junior | Age: 21
Height / Weight: 5’11” / 183 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 2nd Round

Player Comparison: Janoris Jenkins

College Statistics

Player Overview

Maxwell Hairston hails from a family of athletes. One cousin, Taiwan Jones, is a former NFL linebacker. Another cousin played professional basketball and a third cousin played football for the University of Kentucky. Maybe that is what led Hairston, after leading his team to a state championship as team captain, to leave his home state of Michigan as a three-star prospect for the Bluegrass State.

Hairston redshirted in 2021 and had minimal production in 2022 despite playing in 12 games. The following season, Hairston played like one of the best cornerbacks in the country. He led the SEC in interceptions and returned two for touchdowns. His play earned him All-SEC honors and garnered national attention.

Many had high expectations for Hairston in 2024 and the season had a promising start for him. He was named team captain and provided good coverage early in the season, even bringing home a pick-six. However, he suffered a shoulder injury that he tried to play through. It affected his play as he was less aggressive as a tackler and had more missed tackles than his breakout season. Ultimately, he missed five games due to the injury. Despite having more eligibility, Hairston declared for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Strengths

• Enticing athletic traits show up on tape
• Awareness and understanding of zone coverage a plus
• Footwork and transitions in man coverage are fluid and precise
• Shoots out of backpedal to break on the ball
• Turnover magnet; hands to catch the ball and forces fumbles
• Will drop a shoulder and wrap up to make a tackle

Weaknesses

• Less than ideal mass and length for cornerback
• Not a lot of press man coverage reps
• Needs to consistently get his head around and find the ball in man coverage
• Might struggle against bigger, more physical receivers
• Shoulder injury cost him time and compromised play in 2024

Let’s See His Work

How does he fit on the team

Cornerback has been a weakness of the Commanders for a while, at least one team name ago. The trade for Marshon Lattimore during last season was costly, but his play against anyone not named A.J. Brown was solid. That said, he has been plagued with hamstring injuries. Mike Sainristil had a fantastic rookie campaign and showed versatility, but the team should find someone to play on the outside and allow Sainristil to play in the slot. Washington signed Jonathan Jones, but they need to find youth at outside corner.

Maxwell Hairston is a competitive corner that has prototypical athletic traits coupled with excellent technique. These attributes are why he was able to get nine...