Jalon Kilgore, DB, South Carolina Gamecocks: 2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report plus pro comp

South Carolina defensive back Jalon Kilgore has been one of the SEC's most productive defenders since his Freshman All-American campaign in 2023 and is a fascinating player to watch in the 2026 NFL Draft. He has everything teams desire from a physical perspective, but his collegiate tape produces a complex evaluation.

A full-time starter from the moment he set foot on the Gamecocks' campus, he played in all 25 games throughout his first two seasons and in another 11 of 12 games in 2025. He worked his way all the way up to becoming a permanent team captain for his junior season, and found himself on All-SEC lists in all 3 of his collegiate campaigns.

Jalon Kilgore NFL Draft Profile:

Position: DB

School: South Carolina Gamecocks

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 211 pounds

Hometown: Eatonton, Georgia

Statistics:

2025: 54 Tackles, 2 INT, 10 PBU

Career: 178 Tackles, 4.5 TFL, 1 FF, 8 INT, 21 PBU

Strengths:

Cuts back and re-centers himself quickly to crash underneath routes while staying disciplined in zone

Strong enough in his base to sink and hold his ground enough between the tackles on run plays

Good recognition and travel with leaking routes, especially on longer developing RPOs

Versatile defender, can work across the middle and on the outside

Physical man coverage defender with outside leverage, knows when he can take some aggressive chances

Plays all over the field and has the basic technique to survive in plenty of alignments

Impressive flashes of anticipation in zone coverage, will jump on routes and break up passes

Willing to get physical and work through bigger receivers, as well as stick his nose in the run game

Solid frame for a defender, will be able to fit into multiple positions, and match up well with different body types

Plenty of collegiate experience and snaps at a high level, won’t come in with any concerns about opposing play

Weaknesses:

Hands need to be more active after the snap. Receivers can release vertically and get leverage on him

Can get too jumpy between his toes and heels early in closer man coverage; smarter WRs can manipulate his footwork

Initial tackling after the catch can be an issue, especially when fully committing one way

Base gets too high at times when rotating back deeper into the secondary, and multi-cut routes can be an issue

Gets too rotational as a tackler and can get swung off the ball carrier

Stays squared off toward the receiver too often; downfield routes can work past him before he can adjust

Can’t hit his top-end speed or acceleration often enough to recover from many straight-line mistakes

Hands will get grabby and over-extended when he attacks in press coverage at the line

Can play near the line but is far from consistently effective as a blitzer, with major timing issues

Often gets caught between being too “gung-ho” and too passive in coverage when jumping on routes, which can put him out of position too frequently

Ball tracking is certainly not a strength sometimes; he struggles to stay with the play and can get outmuscled at the catch point, even at his size

NFL Outlook:

Kilgore is a big nickel who might project more as a safety at the NFL level, especially with more of a natural feel for zone coverage schemes. He has the size and versatility to plug in at a few different spots in the defensive backfield, but might struggle to find consistent success to warrant being anything more than a rotational asset. His length and instincts will be a big selling point for teams looking for secondary aid, and he should be at least a reliable depth piece in the later rounds of the draft. His frame, physicality, and defensive knowledge make the upside visible, but it’s more likely he settles into a Swiss Army Knife role rather than an every-down defender in the long-term.

NFL Player Comparison:

Kilgore might fall more on the cornerback side of the scale, but I see a lot of former second-round pick Jeremy Chinn's game when watching his tape. Both players check off the size box at first glance and have a blend of physical tools and some technical prowess. Chinn ran into some issues that Kilgore likely will as well, mainly with positional fit and finding a definite defensive role. He continues to be a high-snap defender, now on his third team, and if the Gamecocks DB can work into a similar career, whatever team takes him will be more than satisfied.

Prospect Grade:

Mid 4th Round