Background

Jalon Kilgore grew up in Eatonton, Georgia, and attended Putnam County High School, where he was a four-star recruit ranked in the top 300 nationally, the top 25 among safeties, and the top 30 in the state of Georgia. He committed to South Carolina and started immediately upon arriving in Columbia. As a true freshman in 2023, he earned Freshman All-America honors from ESPN, 247Sports, and College Football News, along with All-SEC recognition. His sophomore season in 2024 showcased his ball-hawking instincts: he tied for the SEC lead with 5 interceptions and added multiple pass breakups, several coming in key moments that swung games for the Gamecocks. Selected as a permanent team captain for his junior season in 2025, Kilgore finished with 44 tackles, 9 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, and 2 fumble recoveries, earning Second-Team All-SEC. He worked primarily at the nickel spot, but projects as a safety at the next level with experience in man, zone, and as a kick and punt returner. He declared for the 2026 NFL Draft as a true junior.

Physical Attributes

Kilgore is a great athlete. His athleticism does not show up just in a straight line, but he works in multiple planes as well. He had a very solid showing during the on-field drills of the combine where I graded him an 8.42 out of 10. Flipping his hips is not his strength and he takes a couple of steps to set it up and start moving at speed again. Though quick changes of direction come much easier to him.

Data and Tape Analysis

If you are unfamiliar with my S radar charts, you can find more information here

One for the helmet scouters. "I want Nick Emmanwori. We have Nick Emmanwori at home"

They did not even mainly play the same position in college! Emmanwori was primarily a safety and Kilgore was primarily a corner. That being said, Emmanwori was rated better nearly across the board and looked like a very similar style of player except Kilgore's zone coverage is so much worse, so let's look at that.

Kilgore's eyes and anticipation let him down in zone. Once every 5.5 snaps in zone, the offense threw his way, a sign they knew they could take advantage of him. They targeted him 36 times in all, and he allowed 22 receptions. It is easy to see why, as his feel leaves him at poor distances to contest the catch, and forced incompletions on only 8% of those targets.

In man coverage, his athleticism helps him keep up, but not always. Technical route runners have Kilgore looking for a map on how to get back to the play. He also can get handsy early in a route, and that has cost him a couple of pass interferences along the way.

As a tackler, Kilgore leaves a lot of meat on the bone as well. He is so athletic and aggressive; he gets way out over his skis sometimes. It's ironic that he wears a red jersey on those occasions, because it looks like a matador held out the cape and oles him.

Grade and Outlook

I know this profile seemed negative, but I heard a little too much early on that there was another Nick Emmanwori. There is not and may never be. Kilgore is a solid player, though, with good size and athleticism to build on. Like all South Carolina Gamecocks under Shane Beamer, he needs a lot of technical refinement. It should help that he is going from a program that seems to do none of that to a place that will emphasize that. But if there is one thing Beamer teaches, it is special teams, so expect Kilgore to star there early on.

Grade: 5.0 (Late 3rd Rounder / Early 4th Rounder)