Maxwell Hairston Scouting Report
By: Michael Higgins
(Image courtesy of Jordan Prather/IMAGN Images)
School: Kentucky
Class: Redshirt Junior
Position: CB
HT: 5’11
WT: 183 lbs
CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY MAXWELL HAIRSTON FILM BREAKDOWN
Background: Maxwell Hairston grew up in Michigan and went to school at West Bloomfield High School. This is the same high school as fellow draft prospect Makari Paige. Maxwell is the cousin of former Michigan star and NFL special teams ace, Taiwan Jones. Hairston was a 3-star defensive back and top 20 prospect in the state of Michigan for the class of 2021. Hairston played both wide receiver and defensive back throughout his entire high school career. He helped lead the team to the Division I state championship in 2020. He was also a First Team All-State selection in 2020. Hairston committed to Kentucky over Virginia Tech, Rutgers, and others.
College: Hairston received minimal time on the field until the 2023 season. As a starter in 2023, Hairston was a Second Team All-SEC selection and All-American honorable mention. He tallied 5 interceptions and 6 pass breakups. In 2024, Hairston missed 5 games with injury but still managed to make Second Team All-SEC with an interception and 4 pass breakups.
Strengths: Maxwell Hairston is a physical boundary cornerback with length to win against the bigger X receivers. He uses his length to both jam receivers at the line and make plays on the football at the catchpoint. Hairston has elite ball skills and is magnet for splash plays. He tracks the ball well by getting his head around and looking it in. He excels in man coverage where he can use his athleticism to stay in stride with his matchup. Without giving up any separation, Hairston is able to get his hands on the football with a high level of consistency. In zone coverage, Hairston’s length shines brightest as he is able to clog passing lanes or take away full areas of the field. In deep zone coverage, he has a quick downhill trigger to close in on intended targets on the intermediate areas. He meets the receiver at the ball, often leading to a pass breakup or even a turnover. He does well to hand his assignments off to the deep safeties in zone coverage. Hairston does not struggle with processing an offense and reading a quarterback’s eyes.
Weaknesses: Hairston is long, but he is also thin. He has held his own against bigger receivers in coverage, but the NFL could be a different beast. Adding a few pounds of muscle would do wonders for him. While the length gives him the profile of a plus tackler, Hairston struggles to bring ball carriers to the ground without help. Hairston can get greedy in zone coverage, trying to get the interception rather than taking away his zone. He is aggressive when jumping routes to get his hands on the football and sometimes the risk is not worth the reward.
Conclusion: Hairston will be most effective as a zone coverage corner at the next level due to his measurables. He is a ballhawk and while he can take away an entire area of the field, he can also close in on the ball to create turnovers. If he can add some muscle without sacrificing movement skills, that would be most beneficial to Maxwell.
Scheme Fit: Zone Coverage
Ideal Role: Boundary CB
Best Team Fits: BUF, CIN, LAR
Player Comparison: Cam Smith
Player Grade: Round 2 (81.3)
