The Buffalo Bills drafted S Jalon Kilgore with their first of two fifth-round selections. Many fans, myself included, were mocking Kilgore to Buffalo with one of their many fourth-round picks, but luckily, Kilgore fell, and the Bills capitalized.
Player Summary
Blitz Sports Media NFL analyst Ryan Linkletter (@blitzlink_) had this to say about Jalon Kilgore during the draft process.
“Kilgore is a rangy safety with good instincts and fluid movement in deep coverage. He reads route concepts well and times his breaks effectively on intermediate throws. In run support, he closes downhill with urgency and delivers firm tackles. Kilgore’s length helps him contest passes at the catch point. He can be overly aggressive at times, occasionally opening space behind him. He projects as a versatile free safety with starting upside in split-safety schemes.”
Kilgore’s College Stats
Jalon Kilgore made an immediate impact in his freshman season, earning All-American honors. He continued being one of the best defenders for South Carolina over the past three seasons. The following statistics are available via Chad Reuter, NFL Draft Researcher/Analyst with NFL Media since 2011, as linked in Kilgore’s draft profile below.
- 2023 (South Carolina): Freshman All-American. SEC All-Freshman Team. Played in all 12 games with starts in the final 11 contests (76 tackles, 1.5 TFLs, INT, 6 PBUs, FF).
- 2024 (South Carolina): Tied for fourth in the FBS with 5 INTs. Played in all 13 games with 11 starts (48 tackles, 3 TFLs, 5 PBUs).
- 2025 (South Carolina): Second-team All-SEC. Led team with 10 PBUs. Tied for team lead with 2 INTs. Started 11 games (54 tackles).
- Miscellaneous: Brother, Gerald, plays DB at South Carolina.
NFL Combine
The Buffalo Bills continue drafting guys with stellar athleticism scores at the combine following their selection of LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr, who ranked second in athleticism scores among LBs. Jalon Kilgore ranked third among safeties with an athleticism score of 79.
Current Safety Room
Kilgore joins an interesting safety room that has been retooled this offseason. Buffalo signed CJ Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone on one-year deals. Brought back Damar Hamlin, who’s also on a one-year deal. It appears the entire safety corps consists of guys either on rookie contracts, Bishop and Hancock, or vets on prove-it deals. What makes the room even more interesting is the fact that Gardner-Johnson and Jalon Kilgore can also play nickelback in Jim Leonhard’s defensive scheme.
Expectations
Although I truly believe Bishop and Kilgore are the long-term answers at safety, Buffalo likely rolls out with Bishop and Stone/Gardner-Johnson as the starting pair, as Kilgore develops behind the veterans. Now, he has a chance to compete in camp and perhaps start immediately because the Bills aren’t locked into anyone at the position cap-wise.
Kilgore likely sits out the entirety of his rookie season, only seeing time on special teams or filling in for injuries. I expect Kilgore to finish the season with 18 tackles, 1 TFL, and 1 FF.
Recap
Buffalo drafted a gem in the fifth round. We at Blitz had Kilgore ranked as the 92nd overall prospect, while NFL analyst Lance Zierlein has a second-round grade on him on the draft profile linked above. Many analysts from different media platforms were all high on Kilgore coming out as a day two pick, so Buffalo snagging him in the fifth could one day be seen as the steal of the draft.
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