Mike’s Pick Six: Evaluating CB Prospects for the Buffalo Bills

Maxwell Hairston, University of Kentucky CB
Mike’s Pick Six: Evaluating CB Prospects for the Buffalo Bills | The Wandering Buffalo

Travis Hunter
6’1” 185 lbs
Projected top 5 pick / Possible #1 pick

Hunter came into the season as a Heisman trophy favorite and did not disappoint. He won the Heisman fairly easily, and made headlines all season long as a star on both sides of the ball. It is still to be determined what his positional future will be, but Hunter projects to be a star regardless of which position he eventually settles on. 

Hunter dominated in high school in West Palm Beach, Florida, and then shocked the football world when he became the first 5-star recruit to go to an FCS (formerly Division 1-AA) program (Jackson State) over Florida State. He played both sides of the ball while at Jackson State as a freshman, but when coach Deion Sanders took the Colorado Job in 2023, Hunter followed. He had a very good sophomore year, recording 57 receptions and 3 interceptions while playing a ridiculous 1,742 snaps. His senior year saw him record 92 receptions for 1,152 yards and 14 touchdowns, while having 4 interceptions and 11 pass breakups. To add to his freakish athletic ability and remarkable production on the field, he managed to maintain a 4.0 in school, all while having an estimated NIL value at $5.2 million per season. Oh, and if that doesn’t highlight his senior year enough, he became the first player in NCAA history to win the Heisman trophy, the Bednarik award (nation's top defensive player), and the Biletnikoff award (nation's top WR) in the same season.

Will Johnson
6’2” 194 lbs
Projected Pick 8-16

Johnson, a hometown boy, arrived at Michigan as a 4-star recruit out of Detroit. As a freshman he earned All-American honors, and followed it up in his sophomore season with first team All-American honors, as well as backstopping Michigan’s National Championship run as their defensive MVP. His junior year was a little marred by injury, but he still managed second team All-American honors and is viewed as an elite defender.

Johnson is tall for a corner at 6’2”, and has elite agility at the position. It is thought by many that he will be able to play zone and man coverage as a pro, but not everyone is sold on his versatility. For someone who is projected to go in the top half of the first round, Johnson has some questions. He tends to allow more separation than he should, and also is known as a gambler; which helps and hurts his case as a starting NFL corner. He is a strong tackler, but also has some issues with his hands when working downfield and could be prone to penalties at the next level. Overall, Johnson has great potential, but I believe he will need to land in a situation where he is handled properly and coached to his strengths in order for him to become an All-Pro in the future.

Jahdae Barron
5’11” 194 lbs
Projected Pick 14-30

Coming into college, Barron was a 4-star recruit, but did not become a full-time starter until his Junior year. That season he was an All-Big 12 honorable mention, leading Texas with 11.5 TFLs, and adding 2 interceptions. Barron stayed in college for 5 seasons, and in his final season was named First-team AP All-American and First-team All-SEC. He tied for fourth in the FBS with 5 interceptions, added 1 sack, and started in all 16 games for the Longhorns. Barron comes into this year's draft with a lot of experience under his belt, and also brings to the table a lot of versatility. Barron has returned punts and can play multiple positions on the defense including corner and nickel, and with him weighing in at almost 200 lbs, it opens the door for the possibility of getting snaps at safety.

Barron is one of my favorite targets for the Bills when I try to think in terms of “reality”; where reality is me trying to be reasonable about what the Bills might do based on need and current draft position. There are a few holes on the Bills roster at the moment but none more gaping than the one at CB2. Rasul Douglas played out of his mind after being acquired from the Packers in 2023, but found that he couldn’t replicate that success this past season. Christian Benford is one of the top 10 corners in the league, and we have the opportunity to put another game changer on the other side of the field and provide support for our safety tandem that is still trying to grow into a viable starting pair in the NFL. Barron could provide versatility and create a disturbance on the defensive side of the ball that could help reshape the Buffalo Bills' defense.

Maxwell Hairston
6’1” 186 lbs
Projected Pick 20-40

Hairston is one of the “new era” of corners that find themselves a little bigger than the corners of the past. Hairston comes in at 6 foot 1 and 186 pounds, which is one of the things about him that scouts like the most. He is long, rangy, and is known as one of the best ballhawks in college football. He excels in press coverage where he is able to get hands on the receiver off the line, and use his size to be more physical. One of the things that has Hairston jumping up draft boards as of recently is his speed at the combine. On game film, he wasn’t scouted as one of the fastest corners in football, but he put all that the rest at the combine when he ran a 4.28 40-yard dash.

The Bills are short at corner and Hariston would be a welcome addition to the defense here in Buffalo. Christian Benford is an All-Pro caliber corner who is here already, and drafting someone like Hairston with our first round pick, or even trading up in round 2, would be something that could help remove added stress from the safety group that is trying to find its footing after its first year together following the departures of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. Having 2 young cornerbacks that you could build around for the next 10 years would be something that I believe Sean McDermott would be very happy to have, and would allow the defense to focus on other areas that currently need help. The Bills have been good at forcing turnovers the past couple of seasons, and Hairston would fit perfectly into that defensive mindset.

Trey Amos
6’1” 195 lbs
Projected Pick 19-39

Amos finished his college career at Ole Miss after beginning at Louisiana and making a 1 year pit stop at Alabama. Amos is a relatively tall and rangy corner with the ability to play as a boundary defender. He ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at the combine, but when you watch the game film he seems to lack elite speed. Amos needs to work on his tackling, but he does show the tendency to be able to wrestle guys to the ground once he gets his hands on them. In the NFL, he projects as a guy who has a floor of CB2 with the potential to be a CB1.

The Buffalo Bills will be in the market for a cornerback in this draft unless they address it in free agency beforehand. Christian Benford has the #1 cornerback job locked down at the moment, and for Amos, being able to come into a situation where he is on a championship-caliber team, and he can operate without the pressure of having the cover the other team's top guy every time he's out there. With Benford as your #1 guy, and Taron Johnson locking down the slot, Amos would be a very welcome addition to the Buffalo Bills Defense, where he would theoretically solidify our CB position group for the next 5 years at least.

Shavon Revel
6’3” 194 lbs
Projected Pick 29-54

Revel comes into the draft with a lot of eyes on him because of his size and athletic ability. At 6 feet 3 inches tall with an 80-inch wingspan, he has elite size for the position and he uses his frame to his advantage in press coverage and does a good job of jamming receivers at the line. He is also known for being a physical corner who is willing to come downhill and defend the run. He is very versatile and can be left on the field in any situation, which only adds to his value. BUT, he tore his ACL in September 2024 and is currently in the process of recovering. The injury will affect his rookie season for sure, but to what extent is unknown.

The Bills could use a cornerback like Revel. His skills and ability would translate perfectly to what the Buffalo defense needs right now. If it wasn’t for the ACL injury, he would be drafted much higher, and therein lies the problem. With a team that is as close to a Super Bowl as the Buffalo Bills currently are, is it good asset management to take a player whose range of outcomes is so large when there are other corners that would be a safer pick? That depends on your outlook and how big of a swing Brandon Beane should take with what would probably be one of our  2 second-round picks. My own personal opinion is that I would love to see Beane take this chance and make Revel our CB2 in the second round.

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