ORCHARD PARK, NY. (WKBW) — Buffalo Bills Rookie Minicamp is in the books and we got our first chance to see some of the new faces in Orchard Park on the field for the first time.
One of those players was first-round pick Max Hairston. A lot will be thrown his way given the fact that he’s in contention to earn the starting cornerback role opposite Christian Benford. For Hairston, the biggest thing he’ll work on in the early months of the season is simply adjusting to the NFL Level.
"It's a different game now," Hairston said. "So adjusting from my college terms to Buffalo Bills terms and just getting used to writing it down to actually going out there and playing in the coverages."
Out of curiosity, I asked Hairston if anyone stood out today from his perspective, and he instantly named sixth-round draft pick Dorian Strong. Strong responded with praise for Hairston, but also with the understanding that jobs are on the line.
"I'm taking mental reps when I'm watching D-Strong," Hairston said. "Seeing him go out there and play with poise like he's already adjusted that was good to see."
"At the end of the day, we're all competing, and moral of the story, I can help him as long as my production is still strong," Strong said after practice. "At the end of the day coach makes the final decision, but we're going to go out there and compete, and I'm going to try making more plays than him."
Now up in the defensive interior, we finally saw the size Brandon Beane and staff went after in the draft come to life. TJ Sanders, Deone Walker, and Landon Jackson. It's clear these new guys are going to play a role in shaping the identity of the defensive line group
"We know the talent we have with all the defensive linemen," said Jackson. "It's great to get us all in the room and I feel like we can play really well."
Tibbetts Takeaways: I agree with Hairston on Strong, I think he had a really good day. On the offense, Kaden Prather and Jackson Hawes impressed. For Prather, he’s joining a very crowded wide receiver room right now at One Bills Drive, but if today was a preview of what’s to come, he'll have a shot at making this roster in a few months.
Up next: OTAs on May 27.
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