Story by
Why Bills picked sliding Jalon Kilgore, then traded draft pick after to Lions
- Story by
- Why Bills picked sliding Jalon Kilgore, then traded draft pick after to Lions
Why Bills picked sliding Jalon Kilgore, then traded draft pick after to Lions originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Buffalo Bills set up for a particularly entertaining Saturday at the NFL Draft for a goofy reason: Twice, they had back-to-back picks.
Advertisement
At 125 and 126, they went with WR Skyler Bell and LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr.
Then at 167 and 168, they selected safety Jalon Kilgore out of South Carolina -- but then they traded down out of 168 to the Lions , so it was just one pick that time around.
Kilgore was a second-team All-SEC safety for the Gamecocks.
"He's just got to translate this athletic ability to more production," ESPN's Louis Riddick said on the draft broadcast.
2026 NFL DRAFT HQ: Live tracker | Pick-by-pick grades | Best players still available
The NFL Draft broadcast on ESPN captured an amazing reaction of hugs and tears for Kilgore with his family in Atlanta .
Advertisement
He's a versatile player, having worked at both safety and linebacker while at South Carolina.
Buffalo will have more picks to make, but Kilgore is the next guy coming to Buffalo.
BEST DRAFT NAMES: Ephesians Prysock | R Mason Thomas | DeVonta Smith | Zxavian Harris
Jalon Kilgore NFL Combine stats
He ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash in the pre-draft process.
He also had a 37-inch vertical leap.
If he can translate that to consistency, it'll be a solid pick for Buffalo.
