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Kentucky junior defensive back Maxwell Hairston was chosen in the first round by the Buffalo Bills as the 30th overall pick in the 2025 National Football League Draft on Thursday night in Green Bay, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n
Hairston becomes the first defensive back to be chosen in the opening round of the NFL Draft in school history and the 19th player chosen in the first round. He\u2019s the fourth first-rounder under head coach Mark Stoops.<\/p>\n
Hairston, a 6-foot-1, 186-pounder of West Bloomfield, Michigan, was a three-year letter winner and two-year starter for the Wildcats, playing in 32 career games with 20 starting assignments. He totaled 89 career tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, with one sack and added 10 pass breakups, six interceptions and three forced fumbles. Three of his six interceptions were pick-sixes, which tied the school record \u2013 also owned by Dallas Owens (1974-77) \u2013 for most career interceptions returned for touchdowns.<\/p>\n
In 2024, although hampered with an injury that caused him to miss five games, Hairston earned Second Team All-Southeastern Conference accolades by The Associated Press after totaling 19 tackles, a tackle for loss, two forced fumbles, a sack, an interception (returned for a touchdown), and four pass breakups.<\/p>\n
He totaled five interceptions in 2023, including four in SEC action, and ranked fifth in the nation in that category. His five interceptions tied for fifth-most interceptions in a single season in program history, the most since Sam Maxwell in 2009 (six). He totaled 131 interception return yards, the most since Greg Long had 176 return yards in 1981.<\/p>\n
The Wildcat had two interceptions alone at Vanderbilt, returning both for touchdowns, tying an SEC single-game record.\u00a0 He was named National Defensive Player of the Week and National Defensive Back of the Week for that game.<\/p>\n
Hairston graduated with a degree in community leadership and development in December 2024.<\/p>\n
Rounds 2-3 will continue Friday, April 25 at 6 p.m. ET and Rounds 4-7 are Saturday, April 26 at noon ET in Green Bay, Wisconsin. All rounds will be covered on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes (Spanish).<\/p>\n
Kentucky\/NFL Draft Notes:<\/p>\n
Hairston is the 29th player drafted who played under head coach Mark Stoops at Kentucky.<\/p>\n
Twenty-five of the 29 players have been drafted since 2018.<\/p>\n
Hairston is the 19th player selected in the first round in UK history, the fourth in the Mark Stoops era (also Josh Hines-Allen in 2019, Alvin \u201cBud\u201d Dupree and 2015 and Jamin Davis in 2021).
\nHairston is the first defensive back selected in the NFL first round in school history. (NOTE: Defensive back Rodger Bird was taken by Oakland in 1966 in the last American Football League draft before the merged NFL\/AFL draft began in 1967.)
\nUK has had a defensive back drafted in three straight NFL Drafts:<\/p>\n
Maxwell Hairston, 1st round by the Buffalo Bills in 2025
\nAndru Phillips, 3rd round by the New York Giants in 2024
\nCarrington Valentine, 7th round by the Green Bay Packers in 2023<\/p>\n
Since 2001, Stoops has recruited and developed 14 first-round draft picks.
\nStoops has had seven defensive backs drafted as the head coach at Kentucky:<\/p>\n
Lonnie Johnson Jr. \u2013 2nd Round \u2013 Houston Texans, 2019
\nMike Edwards \u2013 3rd Round \u2013 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2019
\nKelvin Joseph \u2013 2nd Round \u2013 Dallas Cowboys, 2021
\nBrandin Echols \u2013 6th Round \u2013 New York Jets, 2021
\nCarrington Valentine \u2013 7th Round \u2013 Green Bay Packers, 2023
\nAndru Phillips \u2013 3rd Round \u2013 New York Giants, 2024
\nMaxwell Hairston \u2013 1st Rounds \u2013 Buffalo Bills, 2025<\/p>\n
There have been eight other Wildcats drafted by the Bills, including Dave Gash (1962), Tom Hutchinson (1963), Will Grant and Gerald Blanton (1978), Rod Stewart (1979), Don Corbin (1984), Steve Johnson (2008) and Ray Davis (2024).
\nHairston is UK\u2019s highest draft pick since Jamin Davis was selected as the 19th overall pick by Washington in 2021.
\nUK\u2019s last five first-rounders have been defensive players \u2013 DT Dewayne Roberston in 2003, LB\/DE Alvin \u201cBud\u201d Dupree in 2015, LB\/DE Josh Hines-Allen in 2019, ILB Jamin Davis in 2021 and DB Maxwell Hairston in 2025.<\/p>\n
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