The Buffalo Bills used their first-round, No. 30 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select Kentucky Wildcats cornerback Maxwell Hairston. However, it appears as though the rookie defensive player may have a difficult start to his NFL career, according to head coach Sean McDermott.Earlier in the week, Hairston suffered an LCL sprain in his right knee. Although no injury is good news, Hairston did avoid a potentially more severe ACL injury in the process.Due to this, Sean McDermott has made clear that Hairston is still a few weeks away from returning to full team activities, something that will unquestionably make it difficult for the rookie to catch up to game speed and intensity when he is fully healed. McDermott also outlined how Hairston will likely "be behind when he gets back".NFL analyst Dan Fetes outlined the quotes by McDermott on August 3 in a post to the social media platform X."It’s going to take some time. He’s week to week…. There’s no way to avoid it, he’s going to be behind when he gets back." McDermott said.What does the Maxwell Hairston injury mean for the Buffalo Bills defense?Hairston was widely expected to take over one of the starting cornerback spots on the defensive unit after being taken in the first round of this selection process this past April. However, with the latest injury news, there is a chance that Hairston could miss the majority of the preseason and some of the regular season, based on the current comments by McDermott.According to ESPN, Hairston is currently listed as the No. 1 right cornerback on the depth chart, opposite star cornerback Christian Benford. Should Hairston be forced to miss some time this year with the knee injury, there is an expectation that longtime Buffalo Bills player Tre'Davious White would receive increased snaps and likely start for the Bills in the secondary.