Buffalo Bills' brass revealed their surprise at snagging Jalon Kilgore in the 5th round, a talent they eyed much earlier. He promises immediate impact and a future starting role.
When the Buffalo Bills drafted safety Jalon Kilgore in the fifth round of last week's NFL Draft, fans were pretty surprised that he had fallen and was still there to be had. Turns out, though, that even Buffalo management was surprised he was there.ha
"He was a guy we discussed in the fourth," Bills general manager and president of football operations Brandon Beane said during a new episode of Bills Embedded.
"He was a conviction guy for a couple of the scouts, too, that they had emailed overnight of guys that they would've happily taken a round earlier."
Beane said that the team felt like it had good safety depth after the moves made during free agency. However, with Kilgore still on the board, they couldn't pass up what he can bring to the team.
So, with the 167th pick in the draft, Buffalo drafted the South Carolina safety. And for head coach Joe Brady, it was a move that he believes will be worthwhile.
"We think Jalon can be a future starter here," Brady said, adding that he was higher on their board than where he went.
"[He's] a guy that can wear a lot of different hats. Played nickel in college, [I] think he's more of a safety. He might be able to be a punt returner too and bring value there. [He's] very smart. It was one of those that we were just staring at that tag and was like, 'Man, if he's there, we've got to pull the trigger'."
After calling Kilgore to inform him that he'd be a Buffalo Bill, the 21-year-old made a declaration that is sure to get fans excited.
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"I'm so glad, you just made the best pick in the draft," Kilgore told Beane. "I promise you."
Kilgore now comes to Buffalo off a season where he had 54 tackles and two interceptions. In three seasons with the Gamecocks, Kilgore had 178 total tackles, eight interceptions, and 21 passes defended.
For the Bills, secondary coach Joe Danna summed up his thoughts with a short and sweet sentence, "******* great get."
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