It stretched on almost 10 minutes. Little did he know that his new coach, Herm Edwards, was there waiting in the room while the Chiefs PR people tried to cut off Maxey, who was on speakerphone.

“You ask a question and you get an answer, huh?” Edwards said.

Strong communication skills didn’t hurt Maxey in the days leading up to the draft. The Chiefs were looking for a cornerback, and Edwards, a former NFL corner, hammered candidates with a flurry of questions. Edwards wanted to make sure he found the right guy, and Maxey, he said, was the best player available with the 154th overall pick in the fifth round.

“He hasn’t played the position that long,” Edwards said. “But he can run, he can jump, and he’s not afraid to tackle.”

Maxey didn’t start until he was a senior because he played behind All-American Antrel Rolle at right corner. Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson said Miami players have a swagger about them, and Maxey developed his by covering the likes of Sinorice Moss, Jeremy Shockey and Winslow.

“When you listen to him talk,” Edwards said, “he’s got energy and he’s got a little bit of a nervousness to him. And I think when you play that position that we’re going to ask him to play, you’d better have that. You’d better have a little anxiety in your belly when you play corner and he has that.”