​ORCHARD PARK — The Buffalo Bills have big plans for Jalon Kilgore. They just don’t have big plans for him right away.The Bills already had a slew of safeties when they selected Kilgore in the fifth round of the NFL Draft. Three of them — C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Damar Hamlin and Geno Stone — were signed to one-year deals. Kilgore is a long-term option with hopes he can eventually step in as a starter next to Cole Bishop.Since Kilgore arrived in Buffalo, the Bills haven’t deviated their plan in bringing him along slowly. For most of the St. John Fisher portion of training camp, Kilgore played with the third-team defense, with sporadic snaps with the twos.Even veteran Sam Franklin Jr. — who didn’t play a defensive snap until the regular-season finale — has consistently been ahead of Kilgore on the depth chart. But that doesn’t mean Kilgore hasn’t impressed, nabbing three interceptions during 11-on-11 sessions of camp.“They’re starting to notice me being able to make plays,” Kilgore told GNN Sports after practice Tuesday. “I’m starting to understand the playbook, starting to get comfortable in it, starting to learn the guys on the defense, starting to learn the whole defense, learn more NFL football. … So I’m just trying to stick to that and just continue to keep being even more detailed.”Being patient isn’t something Kilgore has needed to do in his football life. He was the 44th-ranked safety in the country coming out of Putnam County High School in Georgia.And after signing with South Carolina, Kilgore was immediately inserted into the starting lineup, making 12 tackles as a true freshman against North Carolina in the 2023 season opener. In three seasons with the Gamecocks, Kilgore started 33 of the 36 games he played during his career.“I’ll just say it’s different,” Kilgore said. “Just having to literally sit back and be on the learning aspect a little bit more instead of being the leader. So just sitting back and learning how to learn and observe and just slow everything down. Just knowing who my opponents are, who I’m going against, what types of routes and formations I’m getting.”What the Bills are getting is an athlete they haven’t coveted much over the last decade, aside from Bishop. Under former coach Sean McDermott, the Bills relied on safeties with instincts and high football acumen.Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer were one of the NFL’s best safety tandems, but they were both cast-offs from other teams. Both were converted from another position, either with the Bills or when they reached the NFL.In an era when players are staying in college longer, Kilgore won’t be 22 until January and stayed at South Carolina for only three seasons. There’s also a lot of athleticism packed into his 6-foot-1, 210-pound body, with a 6-foot-7 wingspan.Kilgore ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds, had a 37-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-10 broad jump. Now it’s about matching football IQ to his natural