What was expected to be a bit of a re-tool season for the Bills turned into their fifth consecutive AFC East title. Covid was not yet a thing the last time they were not the division champs. Not only did they go 13-4 in the regular season but they won two playoff games and came up four points shy of making the Super Bowl. Quarterback Josh Allen played the role of Superman all year but it was the defensive side of the ball that faltered; the secondary specifically. Hairston, the #26 overall player on last summer’s Preseason Top 32, ended up going at #30 overall to the Bills. The fastest player at the 2025 Scouting Combine (4.26 forty) was brought in to start, plain and simple. While the team wants him to add and keep on weight, they are betting on the fact his speed can make up for any shortcomings he may initially have when it comes to anticipating routes and reaction time.
Just like Hairston, White was a late first round pick by the Bills but it was the same season Nick Foles led the Eagles to a Super Bowl win over the Patriots. He finished second in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting and then earned All-Pro honors in his third and fourth seasons respectively. A torn ACL in 2021 and a torn achilles in 2023 derailed his career. He was released in March of 2024 and he spent the season split between Baltimore and Los Angeles. White has lost a step and returns to Buffalo after a season that saw him allow the highest completion percentage and NFL passer rating of his career.
Prediction: Hairston
In 2017, White replaced Stephon Gilmore who had left for New England. This time around I expect him to be on the other side of it. White is clearly on thr final stretch of his career and his main role will be to mentor Hairston. As long as he picks up the scheme and hide some of the mental mistakes (not all), Hairston will win the job.