Buccaneers draft rumors: Maxwell Hairston "top option" for Todd Bowles with No. 19 pick in Round 1

Cornerback Maxwell Hairston spent his entire collegiate career with the Kentucky Wildcats. Coming out of West Bloomfield High School, he committed to playing for the program in 2021. After four seasons, Hairston declared for this year's NFL draft.

Draft experts and analysts project Maxwell Hairston to be a potential first-round pick in the draft. He is regarded as the second-best cornerback behind Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter.

According to NFL insider John Frascella, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in contention for the Kentucky Wildcats star. He is projected to be drafted 19th overall by the NFC South team. The cornerback position is one of the needs the team needs to address through the draft.

"BREAKING: Despite Safeties being mocked to the Tampa Baby Bucs in almost every iteration, I'm being told that Kentucky Cornerback Maxwell Hairston is the top option for Tampa at 19 in the 1st round of the NFL Draft."

Earlier this month, Hairston was one of the prospects on a pre-draft visit to Tampa. After redshirting his freshman campaign, the cornerback appeared in 32 games with 20 starts for the Wildcats.

Hairston recorded a total of 89 tackles, 1 sack, and six interceptions throughout his collegiate career. Last season, he was the starting cornerback in the seven games he played. Hairston missed out on five games due to an injury. The Wildcats finished with a 4-8 campaign while the cornerback was honored as a Second-Team All-SEC.

Hairston also had a decent performance at the combine. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds. The cornerback recorded a 39.5" vertical jump and a 10'9" broad jump while earning a prospect grade of 6.37.

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Maxwell Hairston to attend the 2025 NFL draft in Green Bay

Last Monday, the league released a list of 17 prospects attending the NFL draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin. However, according to a report by NFL insider Ari Meirov, the list has now been updated by the NFL.

As per the new list, Mykel Williams and Jaxson Dart will not be attending the draft live in Green Bay. However, the Kentucky cornerback has now been included as an invitee.

"The NFL has updated its list of players attendees for the NFL Draft in Green Bay. QB Jaxson Dart and DE Mykel Williams are out, CB Maxwell Hairston is in," Meirov wrote.

Apart from the Bucs, Hairston also had pre-draft visits with the Bills, Commanders, Falcons, Raiders, Eagles, and Lions, to name a few. It will be interesting to see which team decides to acquire the cornerback in the first round of the 2025 draft.