One of the positions that hasn't been discussed virtually at all in the 2025 offseason for the Denver Broncos is the cornerback position. The reasons are obvious. The Broncos have the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in Pat Surtain II. They had a breakthrough player in Riley Moss. They have a very good slot corner in Ja'Quan McMillian. They got some nice development late last year from Kris Abrams-Draine. Damarri Mathis has started games.
Needless to say, the team has enviable depth at the cornerback position, but that doesn't mean they are entirely pleased with the current state of the roster and how things went last year.
Riley Moss wasn't the same after coming back from a knee injury at the outside cornerback position. Ja'Quan McMillian was flagged eight times and is going to need a new contract soon. I mean, if you want to poke holes at the cornerback position, you can certainly fabricate some type of fear that this position group is unresolved.
The Broncos are reportedly bringing in one of the top players at the cornerback position in this year's NFL Draft class for a visit, which has certainly gotten the gears moving on some interesting possible scenarios.
Broncos bringing in stud CB Maxwell Hairston for pre-draft visit
According to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver, the Broncos brought in Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston for a pre-draft visit.
This is interesting on multiple levels.
It is fascinating that the Broncos might even consider taking a 1st-round cornerback. Again, it wouldn't be completely without merit, but the cornerback position is one of the best position groups on the team, at least on paper.
We know that the Broncos actually graded the offensive and defensive line as the best position groups on the team last season, but cornerback had to be up there as well with the way those guys performed in unison up until Moss's injury.
The thing about Maxwell Hairston, in particular, is that he's one of the unique cornerbacks in this class who might be worth taking a risk on in Denver's current context. Think about the ball skills of Aqib Talib and how massive it was for the Broncos to add that to the mix back in 2014.
Hairston had six interceptions and three forced fumbles in his last 20 college games, including three interceptions returned for touchdowns. He's got the killer instinct once the ball is in his hands and he's so fluid in his movement. There's obviously an explosive element to his game and you really have to lean on what you saw on his 2023 tape since he missed a lot of the 2024 season due to a shoulder injury.
The injury he suffered in 2024 could have contributed to an increased missed tackle rate as well.
Either way, the Broncos are probably bringing him in because they would seriously consider taking him in the 1st round. It's not a foregone conclusion or anything, but it's definitely on the table, meaning we could see arguably the most shocking outcome of the first round for the Broncos come into play: A round one cornerback prospect.