Bills general manager Brandon Beane has just one unsigned draft pick after contracts were completed Friday for cornerback Maxwell Hairston and defensive tackle Deone Walker.
Buffalo Bills Mandatory Mini Camp (copy)
The Buffalo Bills used the 30th pick of the first round on cornerback Maxwell Hairston. (Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News) Harry Scull Jr./Buffalo News
Hairston was selected by the Bills with the 30th pick of the first round in April, and Walker fell to the fourth round because of a back injury that limited his impact last season at the University of Kentucky. T.J. Sanders, the Bills' second-round pick, is their only unsigned rookie.
Hairston was an all-SEC second team selection in 2024 after he totaled 19 tackles, two forced fumbles, a sack, one interception and four pass breakups in seven games. He missed five games because of an injury. The Kentucky standout started all 13 games in 2023, leading the SEC with five interceptions, 131 interception return yards and two interceptions returned for touchdowns.
The Bills drafted Hairston to compete for the starting cornerback spot opposite Christian Benford, and he missed the final practice of mandatory minicamp this week with a tweaked hamstring. Beane told reporters that Hairston is expected to be ready for the start of training camp next month.
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Walker's 2023 season had him considered as a future first-round draft pick. The 6-foot-7, 331-pound defensive tackle was named first-team all-SEC after he totaled 12½ tackles for a loss, including 7½ sacks, and eight quarterback hurries. His 2024 season was challenging, however, as Walker played through an injury that medical tests later revealed as a stress fracture in his back. A two-time team captain for the Wildcats, Walker was still a second-team all-SEC selection with five tackles for a loss in 11 games, but he was as disruptive as the previous season.
Maxwell Hairston's journey from Michigan to Buffalo Bills first-round draft pick
The Bills limited Walker's workload this spring while he moved further away from the injury and his coach, Sean McDermott, told reporters Tuesday that Walker was cleared by the medical staff to move from four reps per team period to five.
Jaguars wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, Broncos cornerback Jahdae Barron and Bengals edge rusher Shemar Stewart are the only 2025 first-round picks who have yet to sign their rookie contracts. Sanders, a defensive tackle chosen by the Bills out of South Carolina, is one of 30 second-round draft picks still waiting to sign.
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