Most players that get invited to the Senior Bowl are comfortable in front of the cameras to a certain extent, but nothing can really prepare you for the media lunch at the event. There are hundreds of media folks walking around a big room grabbing players for interviews with very little organization. It’s complete chaos, and I can imagine a bit overwhelming for certain personality types. But there are always a couple players I speak to every year that have a certain swagger about them and love speaking to the media. One of those players this year was Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston.
The first thing you noticed walking up to him was his big gold chain that spells out “Mad Max.” Naturally, that was my first question for him.
“This is my nickname,” Hairston said. “It’s my personality on the field. It’s my alter ego. My coach gave me it when I was younger, and now that NIL’s a thing, I just kind of took off with it. That’s my personality on the field. I’m Mad Max.”
That is quite the introduction to a player. Watching him on the practice field in Mobile, Alabama that week, it perfectly describes his play.
Hairston flies around the field, and though he has just a 5112, 179-pound frame, he plays like a much bigger player. His work in press coverage with jamming receivers at the line of scrimmage stood out throughout the week.
“I’ve been working a lot in the offseason of just being able to get hands on people because I don’t wanna have to rely on my athleticism,” Hairston said. “I wanna be able to slow down and kind of control the route, not let receivers beat me up. And then if I need my athleticism, it’s always there, but I want to be more of a technical player.”
Here is a clip from practice via Travis May of AtoZ Sports.
If there is one game of his college tape that best shows who he is as a player, he told me it’s his 2023 game against Vanderbilt. He described it as the game that “started it all.”
Just a glance at the stats, and it’s easy to see why. He had five total pass breakups and two interceptions that were both returned for touchdowns. He almost single-handedly broke that game wide open for his team.
If he had to boil down the strength of his game to one thing, he just likes to compete.
“My competitive nature. Man, I could do it with anybody and I’m gonna give them my all. I’m a fierce battler,” Hairston said. “If you catch the ball on me, you line back up, you’re not gonna do it again. So that’s kind of my mindset. That’s kind of what got me here for real, just being a natural competitor and not backing down from any challenge.”
Hairston grew up watching Jalen Ramsey and trying to emulate his play. More recently, he’s taken to watching Pat Surtain.
“Just watching Pat Surtain, his press technique, how calm he is,” Hairston said.
Hairston had a great week overall at the Senior Bowl and figures to be a Day 2 pick in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
