Jalon Kilgore
Buffalo BillsOur College Grade
How good he was in college at what his position is supposed to do, out of 100. Scored against everyone else at his position, adjusted for the level he played at. This is not his NFL grade.
College Production
South Carolina · SEC
| Season | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | Hur | PD | INT | Pos Rk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 76 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 49 |
| 2024 | 48 | 3 | 0.0 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 47 |
| 2025 | 54 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 43 |
The seasons in our college data. It does not always reach back to a player's first year.
Scouting Report
South Carolina · 2026 draft class
Jalon Kilgore is a physically gifted hybrid defender from South Carolina who was built to play in the modern NFL secondary. The former 4-star recruit has played his entire career as a Gamecock, lining up at free safety, strong safety, slot corner, and WILL linebacker in South Carolina's scheme where he mans the SPUR position -- a safety/linebacker hybrid role. Kilgore is a remarkably smooth mover in space with quick feet for his 6-1, 211-pound frame, and his 33-inch arms give him an impressive catch-denial radius to disrupt at the point of attack. He triggers fast on quick routes and underneath plays, showing impressive closing burst to recover and contest catches even when initially beaten. In zone coverage, Kilgore sees route combinations quickly, mirrors the quarterback's eyes, gets proper depth, and passes off routes efficiently. He is an active communicator pre- and post-snap who rarely gets fooled by play fakes, showing the football IQ that enables his versatile deployment. As a run defender, Kilgore identifies ball carriers quickly and attacks with length and play strength, piling up 124 tackles and 4.5 TFLs through his first two seasons. However, his man coverage has limitations -- he can give up separation on sharply breaking routes against agile pass catchers, and his deep recovery speed is a question mark. Kilgore's discipline sometimes works against him as he stays in coverage too long rather than triggering downhill aggressively. His exact draft stock may vary widely by team: those with a STAR hybrid role could view him as a second-round pick, while teams that see him as a tweener may push him to Day 3.
Strengths
- Exceptional versatility across safety
- slot corner
- and linebacker alignments
- Smooth mover in space with quick feet for his size
- Impressive closing burst to recover and disrupt the catch point
- Strong zone coverage instincts with route combination recognition
- Active pre- and post-snap communicator with high football IQ
- Willing run defender who identifies ball carriers quickly
- Length and play strength produce consistent sure tackles
- Flashes hand usage in man coverage to disrupt timing
Concerns
- Man coverage limitations against agile route runners
- Deep recovery speed is a question mark
- Gives receivers free releases too often
- Ball tracking downfield is inconsistent
- Could play with more physicality for his size
- Overly disciplined at times -- stays in coverage instead of triggering downhill
- Not quite big enough to take on OL blocks like a traditional linebacker
- Scheme-dependent value creates wide draft stock variance
Honors
4-star recruit (247Sports); Bleacher Report grade 7.5, ranked 45th overall, CB7; Day 2 projection (late 2nd to early 3rd round)