Maxwell Hairston could give UK another NFL draft win. Who will replace him?
Almost nothing about the 2024 season went according to plan for Kentucky football, but the NFL draft this week could at least offer a reminder of one element that appears to remain a strength of the program.
Developing defensive backs at a high level.
Former UK cornerback Maxwell Hairston was one of 16 players expected to attend the draft in person in Green Bay, Wisconsin, according to the Boston Globe. Hairston’s inclusion suggested that the NFL expected him to be an early-round pick. Mock drafts have suggested in recent weeks he could be picked in the first round.
“He’s fluid and fast,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said of Hairston in a recent conference call with reporters. “He makes plays on the ball.”
When Hairston is selected, Kentucky will officially have had a cornerback picked in three consecutive and four of the last five drafts. He could follow Carrington Valentine (Packers, 2023) and Andru Phillips (Giants, 2024) to go from Kentucky cornerbacks to rookie starters in the NFL.
Of course, Hairston shooting up NFL draft boards after running the fastest 40-yard dash of any player at the NFL combine does not do much for Kentucky’s outlook in 2025.
But it might at least add confidence that UK coaches are positioned to find the next cornerback to feature at the position.
Kentucky added Maryland transfer Kevis Thomas to the cornerback room in December, but he is unlikely to start in 2025. Instead, UK coaches appear to be counting on growth from a group of returning players who were forced into action last season when Hairston was sidelined for five games due to an infection.
Senior JQ Hardaway returns as the starter at UK’s field cornerback position. Junior DJ Waller and sophomore Tehryon Nichols are the leading contenders to replace Hairston at the boundary cornerback position after both started games during Hairston’s absence in 2024.
Waller might have the highest ceiling as an NFL draft prospect among the group. He started his career at Michigan, contributing as a freshman on the 2023 national championship team, then totaled 13 tackles and two breakups in his first season as a Wildcat.
Waller started four of the seven games he played in but missed the final four games of the season with an injury.
“That’s another one that we’ve got really high expectations for,” defensive coordinator Brad White said of Waller during spring practice. “And he’s shown improvement through spring. None of the guys are where we want them to be or expect them to be come September — and I don’t think they would want that to be the case — but he plays with great length and physicality.
“You can tell that he loves football. There’s a passion in what he does, and now, just about cleaning up some of the little details. And it’s eye discipline, it’s footwork, it’s being consistent day in and day out. We’ve seen growth in those areas, but we need to continue to see that here over the next six months, and then throughout the season.”
Size should be a strength for Kentucky’s cornerbacks in 2025 with Hardaway and Waller both listed at 6-foot-3 on the spring roster. Nichols (5-foot-11) and Thomas (6-foot) are not as tall but have college experience to bring to the rotation. Four-star freshman signee Andrew Purcell could compete for immediate snaps if he impresses after arriving on campus this summer.
Potential is no guarantee that any of UK’s current cornerbacks eases the loss of Hairston, but Hairston himself was in a similar unproven position two years ago when thrust into the starting lineup for the first time. He responded with five interceptions in 2023.
“The reality of it is we lose guys that are big names every year,” co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Chris Collins said. “It’s our job as coaches to continue to prepare the next guy up, whether it be through injury that season or whether it be through guys leaving and going on to the next level.
“We’ve been blessed to be able to develop guys throughout, but that’s the key, what we talk about when we recruit guys. Understanding there’s a process to what we do. It’s not just happenstance. Understanding that is important. It’s easier said than done. We’re in that process, that maturation process right now. It’s exciting. That’s what you get up for as a coach, to see these young men grow and develop, not just as players but as people.”
2025 NFL Draft
At Green Bay
TV: NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes
Round 1: Thursday, 8 p.m.
Rounds 2-3: Friday, 7 p.m.
Rounds 4-7: Saturday, Noon
View the draft order for every round.
This story was originally published April 24, 2025 at 5:00 AM.