Maxwell Hairston returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Vanderbilt in 2023. (UK Athletics Photo)
Before the season started it seemed likely that Kentucky football would have a first-round pick in the NFL Draft.
That still seems like it will happen Thursday night but it won’t be defensive tackle Deone Walker like it seemed it would be when the season started. Instead, it could be cornerback Maxwell Hairston even though he missed five games in 2024 due to an injury.
Hairston still earned Second Team All-SEC honors from The Associated Press after having 19 tackles, a tackle for loss, two forced fumbles, a sack, an interception (returned for a touchdown) and four pass breakups.
The 6-1, 185-pound Hairston played in 32 games with 20 starts in three seasons. He finished his UK career with 89 tackles, 10 pass breakups, six interceptions, three forced fumbles, 2.5 tackles for loss and one sack. He returned three interceptions for touchdowns, tying Dallas Owens’ UK record.
Hairston, one of 20 college players invited to attend the draft, turned a lot of NFL heads with his 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler recently ranked the top 300 players in the draft knowing that his overall evaluations might not match up exactly with where players are drafted.
He had Hairston rated as the 35th player in the draft.
“Hairston is a competitive, lanky athlete who feels routes developing around him and plays with the reactionary movements and ball skills to fit a variety of coverages. If he makes the necessary improvements as a tackler, he has the talent to become a capable NFL starter early in his career,” Brugler wrote in The Athletic.
Walker was projected by some as a potential top 10 pick in the 2025 draft when the 2024 season started. However, Walker’s draft stock fell as the season went on and Brugler ranked him 127th.
“Walker is a unique athlete with impressive balance and movement skills for a 330-plus-pounder, but his technique and pad level must catch up with his physical talent for the flashes to become consistent,” Brugler wrote. “If he adapts to pro coaching, he has the skill set to become an NFL starter.”
Walker is being projected as anywhere from a third- to fifth-round draft pick by most.
4 Responses
The injury really hurt his draft stock. I see him more as a third round pick as this draft is loaded with cornerbacks. Walker never produced the numbers I thought he was capable of last season. Because of that, he is looking at being a 5th or 6th round pick.
Why is he leaving he will be lucky to make a million dollars next year and he could have came back played in college made more money to set himself up to make even more money as a first or second round pick. He only had one good year of college football.?
Walker should have came back. Why would you leave early to be a 4th round pick it doesn’t make any sense. As soon as he seen his name on the mock drafts he only had one foot in the door. He had one and a half good years of football and I feel like he felt he had already made it. He looked lazy last year. He would stop playing way before the whistle would blow. Anyone else would want to come back and get that first or second round money or come back and get that top rated nil Money while playing in college against weaker competition. His situation is a head scratcher he would have made more money in nil than he will make on a 4th round contract were he might get a million a year he could have stayed in college and made at least 2 million and could have improved his draft stock for a big payday in the first or early 2nd round. Just goes to show your never as good as you were yesterday.
Terry, Walker play with a back injury that no one knew until after the season ended. The coaches wanted him to set out but he refuse too he play with pain and gut it out.