The NFL Draft is now just about a week away. The Washington Commanders have the 29th pick in the draft and could go multiple routes when it comes to their first pick by either using it to trade up, trade back, or stay put and take a player at 29 that they think will help elevate their team now and into the future with further development.
Washington has done a great job this offseason by addressing their needs on the offensive side of the ball, and with that, most draft analysts have them taking a defensive player in the first round with their 29th pick. That continues to be the theme here as well as Pro Football Focus' latest mock draft has the Commanders taking well-rounded cornerback Maxwell Hairston out of the University of Kentucky.
"The Commanders didn’t have a single secondary player with a PFF coverage grade above 65.0 in 2024," wrote Jordan Plotcher. "Hairston's 2024 campaign was shortened by injury, but he posted an 85.3 PFF coverage grade along with five interceptions and four pass breakups in 2023."
The Commanders do have solid starters at the cornerback position with Marshon Lattimore and Mike Sainristil starting on the outside in 2024, but they are a bit thin when it comes to depth despite signing Super Bowl champion Jonathan Jones in free agency and there is at least a chance Sainristil moves back inside to his natural position.
Getting Hairston would seem like a great pick for the Commanders here at 29 as they likely would like to get younger at the position as well. Hairston missed significant time in his final season with the Wildcats but was a force in 2023 and began 2024 before the injury. In 2023 he was named second-team All-SEC, tied for sixth at the FBS level with five interceptions (led the SEC), and tied for second in college football with two interceptions being returned for a touchdown.
Hairston is graded out as a round-one draft pick with his length and high-level ball skills being the major strengths of his game. Hairston also possesses great change of direction and fluidity when sticking with receivers, and does a fantastic job at reading quarterbacks and anticipating wide receiver route breaks.
While Hairston is seen as a well-rounded player, there are concerns surrounding his slender stature that leads to problems when playing against bigger, stronger receivers, helping defend in the run game, and open-field tackling when receivers have the ball in space.
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