Jalon Kilgore is a safety from South Carolina projected to be selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. This comprehensive scouting report analyzes Kilgore’s draft potential, current mock draft trends, and where he ranks among the top prospects.
Jalon Kilgore’s NFL Draft Potential
Jalon Kilgore’s 2025 season hasn’t been as strong as his career-best 2024 campaign, and as a result, he’s drifted down the board a bit. Nevertheless, in the right role, he has a chance to make an NFL impact. At 6’1″, 219 pounds, with plus proportional length and short-area quickness, he’s shown he can put on a multitude of hats — from two-high safety to rover to overhang LB and big-nickel defender. Kilgore might not have the fluidity to play man coverage consistently, but as a strong safety and occasional sub-package LB, he has the adept processing, blistering explosiveness, and playmaking propensity to generate momentum-changing plays in both phases.
CFB Week 9 Update
It was an up-and-down day for Kilgore against Alabama. Kilgore had one incredible pass deflection trailing a WR vertically — using his eyes and body control to find the ball and extend to deflect. But Kilgore was also picked on in man coverage and by alignments. He gave up four catches for 66 yards and a score when targeted, and also missed half of his tackle attempts in run support, per TruMedia. Right now, the idea of Kilgore — a role-diverse hybrid safety with range and physicality — is better than Kilgore himself as a prospect, and there are elements in both phases he needs to clean up before the end of the year.
CFB Week 10 Update
Kilgore’s NFL projection remains unclear, but the South Carolina defender had a fairly strong week in Week 10, in spite of his team’s overall struggles. Per TruMedia, Kilgore was targeted five times and allowed just one completion, while snagging an interception and pass deflection. Kilgore’s greatest assets will always be his length, playmaking reach, and route awareness in zone, and those traits could enable him to maintain a role as a two-high safety and short-zone rover.
Where Is Kilgore Being Selected Most Often in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator?
Kilgore currently holds the No. 80 overall rank among prospects, reflecting his standing among mid-round prospects. His most recent Average Draft Position (ADP) of 83.1 as of October 27 reflects that he is typically being selected on Day 2 or early Day 3.
This small gap between rank and ADP suggests he’s consistently valued among evaluators, even amid fluctuations in player evaluations at this stage of the draft cycle.
Users controlling the Jacksonville Jaguars have been the team that selected Kilgore the most frequently over the past week, accounting for 1.6% of their picks across all seven rounds. Notably, 2.9% of the Jacksonville Jaguars’ first-round selections over that same period were used on Kilgore, underscoring users’ strong preference for him as a potential immediate-impact safety.
Ready to run your own draft? Head over to the free PFSN Mock Draft Simulator and be the GM of your favorite team!
Where Does Jalon Kilgore Rank Amongst Other NFL Draft Prospects?
Kilgore is currently outside the top 100 in my October big board but remains an intriguing prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft. Rankings are updated monthly as the college football season progresses and more scouting information becomes available.
Want to see how we rank all the draft prospects in the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator? Check out our NFL Draft Prospect Rankings page, which includes more than 750 prospects.
