Just a few days earlier, Buffalo Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray had identified his preferred cornerback high in the NFL draft.
This player – whom Gray declined to reveal – checked all of the Bills’ boxes. Measurements. Production. Character.
“A great kid. He was outstanding,” Gray said. “I jokingly said, ‘He’s my new favorite.’ ”
But then, Maxwell Hairston, the cornerback from Kentucky, arrived at the Bills’ facility for his top-30 visit, designed for clubs to host prospects for 24 hours of meetings, tours and meals.
“I said, ‘Man, I really like that other kid, but Max is my new favorite,’ ” Gray said. “The personality. The energy. The engagement. The authenticity. There was a lot to take away from that in a positive way.”
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Bills assistant general manager Brian Gaine, left, and director of player personnel Terrance Gray were the right-hand men for general manager Brandon Beane during this year’s NFL draft.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
The entire organization had the same type of positive feeling, which is why the Bills drafted Hairston 30th overall April 24, the first of nine selections they made over three days in the draft.
Which players visited the Bills beforehand? Which scouts were at the new players’ pro days? Which two assistant coaches traveled to conduct private workouts?
For the third consecutive spring, Gray met with The Buffalo News to dive into the Bills’ draft process, and this time, assistant general manager Brian Gaine joined the conversation to provide his insight:
Maxwell Hairston
In-person game, practice: Gray attended last year’s Georgia-Kentucky game, and Gaine attended a Wildcats practice.
Combine interview: Yes, in addition to a Senior Bowl meeting.
Pro day: Area scout Pete Harris, college national scout Mike Szabo and director of college scouting Matt Bazirgan attended.
Top-30 visit to Buffalo: Yes.
Among the nine players the Bills drafted, Gray said Hairston was the longest conversation in pre-draft meetings for the coaches, scouts and executives. Longest because the position was a big need? Or because the stakes were so high?
“A little bit of both,” Gray said. “We take pride in making sure we bring the right guys in from rounds 1-7, but your first 3-4 picks are viewed as cornerstone pieces, and it being a corner, it warranted a long discussion.”
A shoulder injury – a dislocation followed by an infection that required hospitalization – limited Hairston to seven games. He finished the season healthy, then ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds at the combine, fastest of any player at any position.
Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston was the Buffalo Bills’ first-round pick in last month’s NFL draft.
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It helped the Bills that the first true cornerback wasn’t drafted until No. 20 (Texas’ Jahdae Barron to the Denver Broncos). Or maybe not.
“You started getting more nervous at (Nos.) 25-26, because at that point, another team can jump ahead of you, because most teams have a snapshot of what they perceive as (the Bills’) needs so … part of it was obvious – corner was a primary need,” Gray said.
Houston traded No. 25 to the New York Giants, who took quarterback Jaxson Dart, and the Los Angeles Rams flipped No. 26 to the Atlanta Falcons, who took edge rusher James Pearce. Four picks later, Hairston became the second true corner drafted. (The Jacksonville Jaguars are expected to play their No. 2 pick, two-way player Travis Hunter, primarily at receiver.)
“He’s an instinctive player, so you’re matching physical ability with that, but what stands out is his closing speed and acceleration,” Gaine said, referring to Hairston. “When he plants and drives, the acceleration is at a very high level, and the second thing is his recovery speed. This is a player whose play speed just about matches his timed speed.”
T.J. Sanders
In-person game, practice: Gaine and Gray both attended a South Carolina practice last season.
Combine interview: Yes, in addition to a Senior Bowl meeting.
Pro Day: Area scout Tyler Pratt attended.
Top-30 visit to Buffalo: Yes.
The Bills started the second round on April 25 holding Nos. 56 (from Houston) and 62, but a run on defensive tackles wasn’t materializing. They didn’t care – they felt moving up was the only way they could draft Sanders. Throughout the draft, Gaine and Gray present Beane with trade-up options – which team might be willing to deal and what the price will be. Beane initiated talks with the Chicago Bears at No. 41.
“T.J. was a guy we felt had a lot of value, and he was in that bucket (of possibilities), but for his particular position, he had added value as a pass rusher, and that moved him above some of the other options,” Gray said.
The Bills traded up in the second round of last month’s NFL draft to select South Carolina defensive tackle T.J. Sanders.
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The Bills agreed to send Nos. 56, 62 and 109 (they later re-acquired 109) for Nos. 41, 72 and 240. Beane gave the green light to vice president of football administration Kevin Meganck and senior advisor Jim Overdorf to call the trade details into the NFL. The Bears had to follow suit.
Sanders (6-foot-3⅝, 305 pounds) was attractive to the Bills because of his interior rush ability (16½ sacks the last two years).
“No. 1, he met what we would call our prototypical standards for the position,” Gaine said. “No. 2, athletically, he met all of our standards. And No. 3, the production piece. We have a three-down vision for T.J.”
Landon Jackson
In-person game, practice: Gray attended an Arkansas practice, and Gaine watched him at Senior Bowl practices.
Combine interview: Yes, in addition to a Senior Bowl meeting.
Pro Day: Area scout Darius Vinnett and defensive line coach Marcus West attended.
Top-30 visit to Buffalo: No.
The Bills didn’t bring Jackson to Orchard Park for a pre-draft visit, and didn’t send West back to Fayetteville for a private workout for a simple reason.
“Landon was a very easy evaluation,” Gaine said.
Jackson was the only member of this draft class to receive a “Bills Blue” designation, reserved for prospects who match every desirable on- and off-the-field attribute. Previous “Bills Blue” recipients include quarterback Josh Allen, receiver Khalil Shakir and linebacker Terrel Bernard.
Gaine referred to his notes from after the Bills’ combine meeting with Jackson.
“Professional, personable, respectful, smart, mature, grounded, very focused, good priorities in his life, very good communicator, very good listener, humble,” Gaine said. “When we got to the finish line with him, we were very aware of how he would be a program, culture and Buffalo fit, and he checked all of those boxes for us.”
Jackson (6-foot-5⅞, 266 pounds) had 13 sacks over his final two seasons for the Razorbacks, and projects as an edge player. He was selected 72nd overall (third round).
At the combine, Jackson posted a vertical jump of 40½ inches, at a station on the Lucas Oil Stadium floor that was directly below the Bills’ suite.
“What Landon did at the combine, it cemented him and his preparation,” Gray said. “(The vertical) was a ‘wow’ number, but to say I was surprised by it, I would say no.”
Catch up on all of our 2025 NFL draft coverage and analysis below.
Deone Walker
In-person game, practice: Gray attended the Georgia-Kentucky game last year. Gaine saw a Kentucky game in 2023 and a 2024 practice.
Combine interview: Yes, in addition to a Senior Bowl meeting.
Pro Day: Harris, Szabo and Bazirgan attended.
Top-30 visit to Buffalo: Yes.
The Bills’ first pick on Day 3 was initially No. 132, but they flipped that selection and No. 169 (fourth round) to re-acquire the aforementioned 109th pick to draft Walker. He shined in 2023 with 55 tackles and 7½ sacks, but he was slowed by a back injury last year, finishing with 37 tackles and 1½ sacks.
“Deone was a 24-month evaluation,” Gaine said. “Deone would tell you that 2023 was super-strong, and 2024 was a good year, but 2023 was perhaps a better version of who he wants to be.”
Walker measured 6-foot-7½ and 328 pounds at his pro day – “This guy is a big man,” Gaine said – and projects as a 1-technique tackle, lined up on the outside of the center’s shoulder.
“From a talent standpoint, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he didn’t get to Day 3,” Gray said. “He stands out for a lot of reasons – the upside, the talent, the physical specs.”
The draft qualified as a good Christmas morning for McDermott after the Bills selected cornerback Maxwell Hairston, defensive tackle T.J. Sanders, defensive end Landon Jackson, defensive tackle Deone Walker and cornerback Jordan Hancock in rounds 1-5.
Jordan Hancock
In-person game, practice: Gaine attended the Ohio State-Purdue game last year, and Gray attended an Ohio State practice.
Pro Day: Gray and Szabo attended.
Top-30 visit to Buffalo: No.
Private workout: Yes. Szabo, Bazirgan and safeties coach Joe Danna traveled to Columbus.
The Bills were impressed by Hancock’s on-field play at nickel and safety in 2024, when he had 48 tackles in 16 games – but mentally, he was off-the-charts sharp.
“He actually learned all three – corner, nickel and safety – throughout his career, and that was very intriguing because of the attrition of a (pro) season, and he gives you the flexibility, not only on your depth chart, but your gameday roster when you start mixing in how many corners and how many safeties you dress,” Gray said. “If you dress him as a safety, you have him as a backup nickel, too.”
Gaine said the Bills expect Hancock to be a “factor” on special teams during training camp because of his physical play.
“To get a guy like Jordan late in the fifth round (No. 170), it was a unique supply chain (for defensive backs) in this cycle,” Gaine said.
Jackson Hawes
In-person game, practice: Gray attended a 2023 practice when Hawes played for Yale.
Top-30 visit to Buffalo: Yes.
During the 2023 season, Gray traveled to New Haven, Conn., to watch then-Yale safety Wande Owens practice … and he also noticed Hawes, then a tight end for the Bulldogs. Hawes transferred to Georgia Tech and was a fifth-round pick (No. 173), and Owens has agreed to terms on an undrafted free agent contract with the Bills.
“He was probably more incorporated to the passing game at Georgia Tech, but, by and large, what you saw at both schools was a good blocker,” Gray said.
Hawes caught a career-high 16 passes for 195 yards for the Yellow Jackets last year and measured at 6-foot-4 and 248 pounds at his pro day. He was a late addition to the Bills’ top-30 visit schedule.
What got the Bills’ attention was Hawes’ game against Georgia, a 44-42 loss in eight overtimes (yes, eight).
“Physicality,” Gaine said. “He was going against what we perceived was the best competition, and he was winning a lot of those blocks.”
Dorian Strong
In-person game, practice: Gray attended the Virginia Tech-Boston College game last year.
Combine interview: No, but the Bills did meet with Strong at the Senior Bowl.
Pro Day: College scout Keith Jennings attended. Cornerbacks coach Jahmile Addae was scheduled to attend, but ran into travel issues.
Top-30 visit to Buffalo: Yes.
The football seemed to find Strong over his final two seasons at Virginia Tech: He had 19 pass breakups, including five interceptions. The Bills were also intrigued by his size (a shade under 6 feet and 186 pounds).
“The way they played him, he played ‘off’ (coverage) and almost a ‘bail’ technique,” Gray said, referring to a style in which the cornerback might initially start in man before bailing into zone. “He always had vision on the quarterback. He’s a smart kid, and has a feel for route combinations. That’s what probably led him to some of those pass breakups, because he saw the play unfold, and that’s when his closing ability and athleticism helped him.”
Strong was selected 177th overall (sixth round).
News sports writers Jay Skurski, Ryan O’Halloran and Katherine Fitzgerald answer the following question: On a scale of 1-10, how big is the Bills’ need at the position?
Chase Lundt
In-person game, practice: No.
Pro Day: Harris attended.
Top-30 visit to Buffalo: No.
The Bills had to base their evaluation on Lundt’s Connecticut tape because he suffered a sprained MCL in the Huskies’ Fenway Bowl win over North Carolina. That prevented him from accepting a Senior Bowl invitation and working out at the combine.
Lundt, who started all 49 games of his college career at right tackle, measured at 6-foot-7 and 303 pounds at Connecticut’s pro day. The 206th pick (sixth round), Lundt will remain at tackle when he joins the Bills next week.
“For a guy who’s tall, he’s able to climb up to the second level and actually has pretty good movement skills,” Gray said. “He’s efficient, he knows who to block and how to position his body.”
Said Gaine: “You can never have enough (offensive) tackles.”
Lundt was cleared from the knee injury to participate in his pro day.
In not selecting a wide receiver until the seventh round, GM Brandon Beane made it clear that the franchise expects Coleman will return for his second pro season a better player than he was at the end of Year 1.
Kaden Prather
In-person game, practice: Gray visited Maryland during the season.
Combine interview: No, but the Bills did meet with Prather at the East-West Shrine Game.
Pro Day: Jennings attended.
Top-30 visit to Buffalo: No.
Private workout: Yes. Quarterbacks coach Ronald Curry held a workout in College Park, Md., with Prather and receiver Tai Felton, who was drafted by Minnesota.
The positive about having Curry on the Bills’ staff is that he’s a former college quarterback and NFL receiver.
“That’s especially (beneficial) on the private circuit,” Gray said. “The last two years, I’ve been able to join R.C. on a private workout, and he’s able to see both sides and help us out with receivers and see things from a quarterback’s lens, as well, (which) is helpful.”
Gray and the Bills’ staff watched video of Prather’s private workout. He is 6-foot-3, 209 pounds.
“A longer, bigger body, and (Curry) thought he could get in and out of his cuts for a guy his size,” Gray said of Prather, who was drafted 240th (seventh round).
Prather was the Bills’ final pick, capping another draft for Gaine and Gray. They returned to the office Sunday morning to continue work on undrafted free agents and rookie camp tryout players.
“It’s a combination (of excitement and relief),” Gaine said. “It dawned on me (last Sunday) morning, seeing the new stadium at 7 in the morning and pulling into the lot and thinking about the excitement and impact of what happened and what we did in free agency and thinking, ‘It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Bills.’”
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