Logic

Then boy have I got good news for you. Not only Max, but MAD Max. Mad Max Hairston. Can't beat that.

For me it's the Browns-Jags trade. On the one hand, I understand it for the Browns. They get to add a blue chip type DL talent this year and then position themselves for a QB next year in what should be a pretty good QB draft. On the other hand, I sort of DON'T understand it for the Browns. Your fans need hope. You need to sell tickets. You have a generational guy sitting there for the taking (that word is thrown around too much, but Hunter really IS generational)...and you decide to pass on him. If I was a Browns fan this morning, I'd feel very mixed. I'd understand what they're up to and be maybe more hopeful for the future, but I'd also be wondering "did I just trade away the rights to a first ballot Hall of Famer?" As for the Jags...it's rare to see a team give up a future 1st to move up for a non-QB. That said, their GM called Hunter "a player that could change the sport", and I can't really disagree with him. Hunter is the type of talent worth gambling on. Furthermore, the single biggest factor in whether the Jags will turn the corner is the success of Trevor Lawrence. Giving him a BTJ/Hunter duo is the best thing they POSSIBLY could've done to set him up for success. Wild trade. Fun trade. Can't wait to see Hunter on an NFL field.

As a fellow "we need a difference maker" guy, and one who also grants the difficulty of finding one at pick 30, I just wanna say... Watching Hairston a bunch since last night, there are some game-changing type plays in his highlights. His eyes, instincts, trust in himself, and aggressiveness, combined with 4.28 speed, lead to him driving on the ball at times, picking it off and taking it to the house. When a 4.28 guy that's as aggressive as he is drives on it and picks it off, you're likely not catching him on his way to a house call. So while most of the time the best way a corner can be a "difference maker" is to lock down his side of the field, there are occasionally guys -- Trevon Diggs, Deion Sanders, guys like that -- whose ability to intercept the ball and bring it back the other way can make a very direct and noticeable difference. And I'm definitely not saying Hairston is Deion Sanders. I'm just saying that he has some impressive plays on tape against top SEC competition, and I don't think it's crazy to think that there may be some pick-sixes in his future that swing important football games in the Bills' direction. The Bills having just one interception in the AFFCG of the variety that I saw Hairston make at times at Kentucky may have sent the Bills to the Super Bowl. Maybe it's the optimist in me, but I have hope that Hairston can be a legitimate playmaker. Here's hoping.

@GunnerBill I'm not sure if you know the answer to this question, but I'll ask it anyway: What, in your observation, are the schematic similarities between Kentucky's defensive scheme and the Bills' defensive scheme? And based on the similarities or lack thereof and given what you've seen on tape from Hairston, do you envision him hitting the ground running and having a legit shot to start the season at CB2? Or do you think it's more of an "ease him into it" situation, where we're hoping he can earn the starting job by week 8?

Instincts, eyes, fearlessness, aggressiveness, and high football IQ are so important in corners. Combining those things -- all of which Hairston seems to have -- with 4.28 speed seems like it makes for a potentially lethal combination. I foresee game changing pick-sixes in Mad Max's future.

For what it's worth, and with the caveat that experts are often wrong at this time of year... Dane Brugler, who does one of the most thorough draft guides out there and really works hard evaluating prospects all year long (his guide "The Beast" on The Athletic is one of the best draft guides in existence) has Thornton listed as a round 5-6 guy.

Get me a 1T and Jalen Royals and I'm doing cartwheels like John Belushi. Would also be fine with them snagging Emmanwori or Watts if they like one of those guys.

Yeah. While some may have preferred other positions, anyone who complains about taking a corner after watching Kaiir Elam get absolutely smoked in the AFCCG last year should probably have his head examined. The Bills were DREADFUL on 3rd down last year, and it probably cost them a Super Bowl berth. Corner was so clearly a need, and the guy they filled that need with was a "swing for the fences" type pick who has playmaking potential we haven't seen from a Bills corner in years.

Haha I truly don't ever remember reading a 1st round Bills draft thread like this. It is SHOCKINGLY devoid of hot takes and anger. Why is that? Because corner was such a glaring need? Because the guy we picked ran a 4.28? WHAT IS BEHIND THIS MADNESS?!?! An academic study on the matter needs to be completed, I think.

Can I just say how NICE it is to have so many players that I WANT to root for? Like genuinely good people, dedicated, hard-working people, funny people, LIKABLE people. I know, I know...we'd all take a few more turds on the team if it meant winning a Super Bowl. The point is to win championships, not "nice guy" trophies. I get it. Really, I do. But still...there are plenty of fan bases out there whose teams regularly draft absolute garbage humans. Abusers and rapers and drunks and jerks. But here in Buffalo? All you hear about is this family culture where everyone hangs out together outside of work and helps shovel each other's driveways, and all we get for players are guys like Tre White, Dion Dawkins, Josh Allen, Keon Coleman, Ray Davis, Max Hairston, Micah Hyde, Terrel Bernard, and on and on and on. GOOD PEOPLE. It's nice. It's nice to root for guys like this. Good humans. It feels good. Laugh at me all you want. IDGAF.

I'm sure this has already been said in this thread, but... Thinking about Mad Max getting to learn from Tre makes me so happy. I think their personalities will mesh really well, I think Max will be a willing student and Tre a willing teacher, and there are reps where I look at Max at Kentucky and see young Tre White. For his on-field mentorship contributions alone -- though I do think he'll provide more than that -- the Tre White signing was a good one. Also, if for whatever reason Hairston isn't immediately ready to start on day one, Tre and Dane can certainly hold down the fort for a quarter of a season until he is.

I love that your "irrationally upset" post still included the facts that DL and WR were picked over, that CB was probably the best value at our pick, and that we may now have one of the deepest CB groups in the league. If this is the new "shouting angry Bills fan", I'll take it! 😅 Bravo!

If you wanna be a little bit amazed at technology, go ask ChatGPT “Is Maxwell Hairston a good scheme fit for the bills and was he a good value at pick 30?”. AI is bananas, y’all. *Spoiler: the robot likes our pick.

The Bills needed a corner, needed more speed on defense, and there have been many hints that they want to play more man coverage. They selected a corner, who runs a 4.29, who can play man coverage. It’s not the sexiest pick. But it’s a highly logical, clean, sensible pick that seemingly ticks the boxes of team need, scheme fit, and value. It doesn’t have to be rocket science. I think the Bills defense got better tonight.

I can’t remember the last time I got six pages into the round 1 Bills draft pick thread and saw this few complaints. has it EVER happened? Everyone seems so….happy and reasonable. What planet am I on?

If you subscribe to the trade chart, we likely have to give back pick 169 to make that work. 34 and 99 -for- 30 and 169 Essentially we'd be turning a 5th into a 3rd in order to move back four spots.

Wait...why would Detroit trade its recent 1st round pick Jameson Williams -- coming off his first 1,000 yard season -- for a 4th? Is this just something people are trying to wishmagine into existence?

I think that not tipping picks will satisfy the vast majority of people. There are a myriad of places -- including Twitter, Facebook, other Bills forums without this rule in place, etc -- that will satisfy the desires of the majority, i.e. discussing picks before they're announced on the broadcast.

Can someone give this message to Adam Schefter? Last year he kept making "educated guesses" right before each team picked that were very obviously him just telling you who it was about to be without actually telling you. Most glaringly, when the Falcons were about to pick, he said something to the effect of "could this surprise everyone and be a quarterback? They've done lots of work on Michael Penix in recent days", and then of course it was. Spoiled what should have been the most fun, shocking moment of the draft. God I hope he doesn't do that again this year. If I even see him come on my TV screen, I'm muting it immediately.

Where on earth are you hearing that? Or is that just what you're saying YOU would like to see happen?

I can't get the image of the Super Bowl out of my mind. The Eagles D-line harassing Mahomes over and over again. The Eagles o-line neutralizing the Chiefs d-line. It makes me want to materially improve our defensive line. At the same time, I can't shake the feeling that the Bills want to strike at the shallower positions first (corner or safety) and then circle back for a d-lineman later, given the depth of that position group in this draft. So... Want: Derrick Harmon, Walter Nolen, Kenneth Grant Think they'll take: Trey Amos or Malaki Starks

I'm with you in that I HOPE they let him walk after 2025. I do not feel he's worthy of a second contract, and would rather draft a replacement this year in the mid-to-late rounds to pair with Davis next year. Nevertheless, I PREDICT that Beane and McDermott don't feel the same way, and that they want to find a way to pay him and keep him here. Hoping I'm wrong, but if that's the route they go, I'll of course accept it and root for the guy. I acknowledge that he's a good player.