You didn't need to be an expert to know the Buffalo Bills needed to address the defensive side of the ball in this year's draft. There was a gaping hole at one of the starting cornerback spots and the defensive line was in need of an infusion of youth. That would explain why the Bills used six of their nine picks on defense with three of those being used on a cornerback and the other three on the line.
With their first round selection, 30th overall, the Bills chose a player I'm sure they are hoping will be the opening day starter at cornerback opposite Christian Benford. Maxwell Hairston was a starting corner the last two years for the University of Kentucky. The 5'11", 183 pound native of West Bloomfield, Michigan was named All Southeastern Conference both seasons.
Hairston played in 32 games for the Wildcats, 20 of which were starts. He totaled six interceptions and returned three of those for touchdowns. Hairston has blazing speed. He ran a 4.28 forty yard dash at the NFL Combine, the fastest time for any cornerback in this year's draft class. It is also the fastest forty time of any player the Bills have drafted in their history.
Hairston, who is 21 years old, played a mix of man to man and zone coverage at Kentucky. He was utilized as the field corner. Back in 2023, one of his UK teammates was Ray Davis, a running back who was drafted by the Bills last year.
Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said the Bills liked Hairston's aggressive play and how he attacked the ball. In addition to that rare speed, which Beane pointed out the Bills don't currently have in the defensive backs room, his ball skills impressed the Bills brain trust as well. They also loved his infectious personality, which reminded the Bills of current corner and former first round pick Tre' White.
Speaking of White, who recently re-signed with the Bills as a free agent, you can bet one of his jobs will be to teach Hairston the tricks of the trade. If Hairston isn't ready for week one the starting job could go to White or Dane Jackson or Ja'Marcus Ingram. But it isn't a large ask to have a first round corner start right away. (Yes, I know the Kair Elam selection never worked out).
In rounds two and three, the Bills made moves to fortify the defensive line. They traded up 15 spots in the second round so they could get TJ Sanders from the University of South Carolina. At 6'4" and 300 pounds, he is not the prototypical run stuffing defensive tackle that many Bills fans were hoping for. But he does have the sought after long arms, measuring at 33 5/8 inches.
But he can be a three down player and Beane believes as a rookie, Sanders is someone they could pair with fellow tackle Ed Oliver on clear passing downs. One of 30 prospects the Bills brought in for a pre-draft visit, Sanders played in 39 games for the Gamecocks. He totaled eight and a half sacks over the last two seasons which isn't an eye popping number but keep in mind he only averaged 36 snaps a game.
Sanders, who will turn 22 in July, didn't get serious about football until his junior year of high school. His first love was basketball and he was all state in South Carolina in that sport. Sanders doesn't necessarily need to start right away but DaQuan Jones, who has been the starter next to Oliver, has only one year left on his contract.
Remember the Super Bowl back in February when the Philadelphia Eagles pass rush dominated Kansas City on the way to routing the Chiefs for the NFL title? The Bills sure did. After all, in the four playoff losses to KC during the Sean McDermott/Beane era, the Bills have given up an average of 34 points. In round three, Beane and company stayed with the theme of helping the defense but this time they looked for an edge player.
The Bills selected Landon Jackson from the University of Arkansas. There is plenty to like about the Texarkana, Texas native. Jackson was an All-American in high school. A four star prospect and rated as the seventh best defensive linemen in his recruiting year, Jackson committed to Louisiana State University. But in his freshman year in Baton Rouge, he played in only five games and his game action was solely on special teams.
Jackson transferred to Arkansas and that is where his career took off. The 6'6" 264 pounder was first team All-SEC in 2023 and second team all conference last season. In three years with the Razorbacks Jackson totaled 16 tackles, 26.5 for loss, 16 sacks, five passes broken up and a couple of forced fumbles.
At the NFL Combine Jackson mentioned that he added about 40 pounds over his time at Arkansas but he dropped a lot of weight in preparation for the Combine and an NFL career. He ran a 4.68 forty yard dash and had a 40.5 inch vertical jump.
Jackson has Alopecia which is a condition that causes hair loss. He has been a voice for the Alopecia community and says he will continue to do that with his NFL platform.
Beane called Jackson, who had a number of meetings with the Bills in the lead up to the draft, a high character guy. Jackson is long(33 3/4 inch arms), athletic, football smart and has strong instincts and awareness. The Bills GM says Jackson has everything the Bills want in the DNA of a defensive lineman.
Here are the rest of the Bills draft picks:
Round 4 Deone Walker, defensive tackle, Kentucky
Round 5 Jordan Hancock, cornerback Ohio State
Round 5 Jackson Hawes, tight end, Georgia Tech
Round 6 Dorian Strong, cornerback, Virginia Tech
Round 6 Chase Lundt, offensive tackle, Connecticut
Round 7 Kaden Prather, wide receiver, Maryland
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