A three-year South Carolina starter who tied for the SEC interception lead as a sophomore before landing in Buffalo on Day 3.
Jalon Kilgore joins the Bills as a fifth-round pick after three straight seasons manning the Gamecocks' secondary under defensive backs coach Torrian Gray. He arrived via a draft-day trade with the Houston Texans and immediately reunited with a former South Carolina teammate on Buffalo's roster.
Path to the league
Kilgore was a true freshman starter at South Carolina in 2023, finishing that season with 76 tackles and First-Team Freshman All-America recognition from ESPN and 247Sports. The Bills took him in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, No. 167 overall, via a trade with Houston.
Career highlights
As a sophomore in 2024, Kilgore tied for the SEC lead with five interceptions, a season that helped establish him as one of the conference's more disruptive young safeties. He was a two-time second-team All-SEC selection and became the sixth South Carolina defensive back under coach Torrian Gray to hear his name called in the draft.
2025 season recap
In his junior and final college season, Kilgore recorded 54 tackles, a career-high 10 pass breakups and two interceptions, capping a three-year run as a full-time starter in the Gamecocks' secondary.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Jalon Kilgore
- On3: South Carolina safety Jalon Kilgore taken on Day 3 of 2026 NFL draft
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- South Carolina
- Hometown
- Eatonton, GA, USA
- Age
- 21
- Status
- active
