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NORMAN, OKLAHOMA - OCTOBER 19: Nickle back Jalon Kilgore #24 and cornerback Judge Collier #20 of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrate after a turnover by the Oklahoma Sooners in the fourth quarter at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 19, 2024 in Norman, Oklahoma. South Carolina won 35-9. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Buffalo Bills may have just made their best value pick of the 2026 NFL Draft with the selection of South Carolina safety Jalon Kilgore. He was projected as a top-100 pick by several outlets and consensus viewed him as such.
Kilgore is another traits-based prospect who played almost exclusively in the nickel at South Carolina. Many believe that he is best suited to play a higher variety of snaps at the top of the defense where he can play more of a top-down to keep things in front of him. He’s a strong tackler and plays up to his size/weight profile. Kilgore had 21 passes defensed and eight interceptions over the course of his career. Another positive of Kilgore is that he’s just 21 years old.
As stated above, a lot believe that Kilgore is someone that many would like to see in deeper alignments of the defense. He has the athleticism, but some of his nickel reps caused him to struggle with smaller and twitchy players in short areas. The fact that he has no tape and is a complete projection to playing on the top of a defense may have caused his fall in this scenario.
Overall, this is an incredible value against the consensus rankings. Kilgore is a legit height/weight/speed blend who is more than just an athlete. He’s a real football player, and he could legitimately compete for snaps on the defense in 2026 despite being a fifth-round selection.
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