[2] At the 2008 Patriot Invitational, he earned a second-place finish in the triple jump event, posting a career-best leap of 13.93 meters (45 ft, 6 in), while also placing twelfth in the 100-meter dash, with a time of 11.48 seconds.

[1] He was scouted by Georgia Tech, Louisville, Middle Tennessee State, North Carolina, Southern Miss, and Troy.

[9] During his final season as a Vanderbilt Commodore, Hayward tied the career record for interceptions at 15 (also held by Leonard Coleman).

He completed all of the combine drills, finishing tied for tenth in the bench press among his position group and 25th in the 40-yard dash.

[12] On March 23, 2012, Hayward attended Vanderbilt's pro day, but opted to stand on his combine numbers and only performed positional drills.

[13] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Hayward was projected to be a second or third round pick by NFL draft experts and analysts.

[23] Throughout training camp, Hayward competed against Jarrett Bush, Sam Shields, and Davon House for the vacant starting cornerback spot after veteran Charles Woodson was moved to strong safety to replace Nick Collins, who was released due to health concerns.

[24] Head coach Mike McCarthy named Hayward the fourth cornerback on the depth chart to start the season, behind starters Sam Shields, Tramon Williams, and primary backup Jarrett Bush.

[25] On September 9, 2012, he made his professional regular season debut in the Green Bay Packers' season-opener against the San Francisco 49ers and recorded one solo tackle in their 30–23 loss.

[27] On October 25, 2012, Hayward earned his first career start after Sam Shields injured his shin and knee and went on to record three solo tackles, make one pass deflection, and intercepted a pass thrown by Sam Bradford to wide receiver Chris Givens as they defeated the St. Louis Rams 30–20.

He finished his rookie campaign in 2012 with 53 combined tackles (40 solo), 22 pass deflections, and six interceptions in 16 games and seven starts.

[32] The Green Bay Packers finished the 2012 NFL season first in the NFC North with an 11–5 record and received a playoff berth.

[35] Head coach Mike McCarthy named Hayward the third cornerback behind Williams and Shields to begin the regular season.

[36] On August 23, 2013, Hayward returned for the third preseason game and recorded a tackle, a pass deflection, and made an interception before leaving the 17–10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks after aggravating his hamstring injury.

[40] Head coach Mike McCarthy named him the third cornerback on the depth chart, behind starting tandem Sam Shields and Tramon Williams, to begin the season.

[42] On November 16, 2014, he recorded one solo tackle and recovered a fumble after Mark Sanchez failed to handle a high shotgun snap and returned it 49–yards for a touchdown as the Packers routed the Philadelphia Eagles 53–20.

[45] Head coach Mike McCarthy named Hayward and Shields the starting cornerback duo to begin the season.

[47] The Green Bay Packers finished the 2015 NFL season second in their division with a 10–6 record, clinching a Wildcard berth.

[48] He became an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career after the Green Bay Packers decided not to offer him a new contract despite setting career-high number in tackles and starts in 2015.

On September 18, 2016, Hayward collected four solo tackles, two pass break ups, and intercepted Jacksonville Jaguars' quarterback Blake Bortles twice in their 38–14 victory.

[60] The San Diego Chargers finished last in the AFC West with a 5–11 record and head coach Mike McCoy was fired.

[63] On September 11, 2017, Hayward started in the Los Angeles Chargers' season-opener against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football and recorded four combined tackles (three solo), a pass break up, and fumble recovery during their 24–21 loss.

During the third quarter, Hayward recovered a fumble by Jamaal Charles after it was forced by Chargers' linebacker Korey Toomer.

[66] He finished the 2017 season with a total of 40 combined tackles (33 solo), a career-high 22 pass break ups, and four interceptions in 16 games and 16 starts.

Defensive coordinator Gus Bradley named Hayward and Michael Davis the starting cornerbacks to begin the regular season.

[72] He started all 16 games during the 2019 NFL season and accrued a total of 32 combined tackles (28 solo), eight pass deflections, and two interceptions.

Head coach John Gruden named Hayward a starting cornerback to begin the season, alongside Trayvon Mullen.

He started all 17 games during the 2021 NFL season and recorded a total of 46 combined tackles (39 solo), nine pass deflections, and one interception.

[23][82] Throughout training camp, he competed to be a starting cornerback against Dee Alford, Mike Ford, and Isaiah Oliver.

[84] He finished the 2022 NFL season with a total of 17 combined tackles (14 solo), three pass deflections, and one interception in six games and six starts.