​COLUMBIA, SC – NOVEMBER 29: Jalon Kilgore #24 of the South Carolina Gamecocks intercepts a pass in the end zone in front of Adam Randall #8 of the Clemson Tigers during a college football game on November 29, 2025 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images The Buffalo Bills have needed to add dynamic athletes to their defense for some time. Especially in the defensive secondary, a reliance on drafting corners whose best fit was to play zone coverage led to repeated issues against elite teams, and those issues often cropped up at the most inopportune times — like during the playoffs.While the team began to add different types of athletes over the final two years of former head coach Sean McDermott’s tenure, those players were still playing in his zone-heavy system. Now, a new defensive coordinator in Jim Leonhard has the reins. Will his defense be an attacking, aggressive scheme as advertised? Does that mean more man coverage, more blitzing, or more of the same with a few tweaks here and there?In today’s installment of our “91 players in 91 days” series, we discuss a rookie who has a chance to become a key piece in Leonhard’s new-look Buffalo defense. _____________________________________________________________________________Name: Jalon KilgoreNumber: 29Position: SHeight/Weight: 6’1”, 210 poundsAge: 21 (22 on 1/27/2027)Experience/Draft: R; selected by Buffalo in the fifth round (No. 167 overall) of the 2026 NFL DraftCollege: South CarolinaAcquired: Fifth-round draft choiceFinancial situation (per Spotrac): Kilgore enters the first year of his four-year rookie contract, which is worth $4,843,324 overall. For the 2026 season, his cap hit is $1,000,831 if he makes the 53-man roster; Buffalo will carry a dead-cap charge of $463,324 if he’s released.2025 Recap: Kilgore followed up his phenomenal sophomore campaign with yet another strong season as a junior. Playing in 11 games, he totaled 54 tackles, which was good for fourth on the team. Kilgore missed one game due to a hamstring injury. He tied for the team lead in interceptions with two, and he led the team in pass breakups with 10. Before the season began, he was one of five players voted a permanent team captain by his teammates, and after the season, he earned plenty of accolades as a result of his stellar play. He was named to multiple All-SEC teams, including Phil Steele (Third Team), the SEC Coaches (Second Team), and PFSN (First Team). He was also voted co-Defensive MVP. He was invited to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, and he put on a show. Kilgore is an elite athlete, and he didn’t disappoint at the combine. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds and the 20-yard shuttle in 4.32 seconds, bench pressed 225 pounds a total of 16 times, and leapt 37” in the vertical jump, and 10’10” in the broad jump. According the the Relative Athletic Score (RAS) metric, K