Jalon Kilgore

● Impressive size-speed athlete — and consistently plays up to it ● Fluid, agile mover who rarely gets beaten by athleticism in the slot ● Plays with big eyes to anticipate opportunities ● Career ball production jumps out (29 passes defended, eight interceptions) ● Long arms and filled-out build; comfortable reading and maneuvering inside the box ● Takes fast angles when breaking on throws and runs through targets ● Aggressive alley runner; both snappy and strong as a tackler ● Toughness was developed while growing up with two older brothers ● Offers punt return experience (career 6.2 yards per return) ● Started 33 games in just three years — doesn’t shrink under bright lights 585 Back to table of contents -- 589 of 629 --

● Bursty athlete but not a controlled one ● Detailed route runners can turn him and get him stuck on his heels, creating catch windows ● Early contact will get him in trouble in coverage (pass-interference flags against Vanderbilt and Clemson in 2025) ● Wish there were more snaps on his tape from deep alignment ● Guilty of fly-by tackles when driving from distance (see 2025 LSU tape) ● Inconsistent stack-and-shed timing ● Muffed punts against Ole Miss and Clemson in 2025 ● Missed one game as a junior because of hamstring injury (September 2025)

A three-year starter at South Carolina, Kilgore played a nickel role in defensive coordinator Clayton White’s scheme. After Nick Emmanwori suffered an injury in 2023, Kilgore was pressed into a prominent role as a true freshman — and never left the field. He was a Freshman All-American, then led the Gamecocks in both passes defended and interceptions during his sophomore and junior seasons. Kilgore is an impressive height-weight-speed athlete and consistently made plays on the football from the nickel position. Though his athletic traits are outstanding, he lacks functional control in his pedal and break movements, which allows receivers to uncover on his watch. He wasn’t asked to range over the top in coverage, but that should be his best position at the next level. Can he deploy his athleticism more efficiently from deep coverage? Overall, Kilgore is a tough eval when projecting him at a position other than nickel, but his size, athletic talent and ball-hawking skills should give teams confidence to make that bet. There is a high-risk, high-reward scenario waiting for the team that chases his upside.