The more the Bills can hit on high-upside rookies, the more of a win it is for the team on and off the field.
GM Brandon Beane was looking for just those types of players who can have an impact on games at a cap-friendly cost, and may have found just that in a talent who slid into the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
South Carolina safety Jalon Kilgore was projected as a Day 2 pick in the second or third round with athleticism and skills that could likely develop into him eventually becoming a starter at the pro level.
The 21-year-old surprisingly fell a few rounds down the draft board until Buffalo stopped the slide at pick No. 167. And when that call came in from One Bills Drive, Kilgore let them know he made the right decision.
“You just made the best pick in the draft,” the young safety said on his end of the line. “I promise you, coach. I promise you.”
For his part, Beane highlighted their scouting and early interest.
“Jalon was another guy we really liked, and we had a pretty good value. We sent [secondary coach] Joe Danna down to work him out, spent some time with him,” he said. “He’s a safety first, played kind of a hybrid star, nickel position there. … That’s why we sent Joe Dana down just to do the safety stuff, talk to him.”
A versatile and athletic three-year starter with 36 game appearances over the past three seasons, he’ll join a depth chart that has a runway to a potential starting role in the future. C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone are veterans on one-year deals as bridge players.
Kilgore will slot in behind them in the safety rotation across from starter Ccole Bishop in a rookie season where he can learn behind several pro safeties, and could compete for a starting job as soon as next season.
An endorsement the rookie received that has him Buffalo-bound was that of his college head coach.
“Very familiar with that program. Know Shane Beamer very well,” Beane said of the Gamecocks HC.
“I actually called Shane again this morning on my way in. Just wanted to run through him one more time. He was going back through some stuff that I didn’t even remember. Maybe I had heard before. Played at a high school where he was the best player on the team, played quarterback, punt returner,” The GM continued. “That’s something else that we would potentially look at for him.”
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Bills’ Brandon Beane gives Jalon Kilgore scouting report
Reporting by David Benjamin De Cristofaro, Bills Wire / Bills Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
