The Green Bay Packers are hardly predictable, but it's often possible to tell which prospects they won't show interest in on draft day.
Following the lessons once taught by Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson, Brian Gutekunst typically sticks to the "Packer Way" throughout the process. They prioritize athleticism and usually have strict size thresholds at each position.
They occasionally make exceptions, especially if a prospect checks most of their boxes. Could Gutekunst make another with Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston?
The second-team All-SEC is a name consistently connected to the Packers by notable draft insiders, including Mel Kiper Jr. and Daniel Jeremiah.
Yahoo Sports' Nate Tice went as far as to say that he knows the Packers "like Hairston."
It's rare for the Packers to use an early-round pick on a cornerback below 190 pounds, but Hairston weighed in at 183 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine. He was at 179 during the Senior Bowl. It might not sound like a deal-breaker, but Green Bay has strict thresholds for a reason and rarely goes against them.
However, yet another draft analyst has paired Hairston with Green Bay at No. 23 overall.
NFL draft expert Todd McShay sends Maxwell Hairston to Packers in recent mock draft
On a recent episode of The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny, host Mina Kimes brought in draft expert Todd McShay for a mock draft. The concept is that with each pick, Kimes would give McShay two options. When Green Bay hit the clock at No. 23, the choices were Hairston or Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon.
McShay went with the former.
"He can play man. He can play zone. Fastest guy at the combine this year. And honestly, I think he might be the second-most explosive dynamic athlete in this draft, Mina, behind (Travis) Hunter," said McShay. "He takes the ball away. Three pick-sixes. I just think this is the right spot. I would take Hairston here."
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Kimes noted that Hairston is a good scheme fit for defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
They both make excellent points. Hairston has elite athleticism and fits the scheme — Hafley wants his defensive backs to go after the ball in his vision-based system, and Hairston does that.
Would the Packers consider going against their typical thresholds? It wouldn't be the first time, but it's rare, and Hairston would undoubtedly split opinion among the fan base.
McShay isn't alone in seeing Hairston going to Green Bay at No. 23 overall. The buzz won't go away, with many of the most credible draft insiders connecting them. We'll see if the Packers actually make it happen.