By Joe – Courtesy of Buffalowins.com

Stephon Gilmore is a Buffalo Bill. Can’t say that I’m shocked…because half of Buffalowins.com said so!! WOHOO! EXPERTS!!

Anyways, since everyone in Buffalo who has never seen him play is going to say that he’s the greatest corner since Nate Odomes because that’s how the draft goes, I reached out to the writers over at Leftover Hot Dog (Gotta love the names of these Bloguin sites) who cover South Carolina.

1) What are his strengths and weaknesses?

Gilmore’s strength is his natural abilities. Gilmore ran a 4.4 second 40-yard dash at this year’s NFL combine, which was the third fastest time among defensive backs in this draft class. He also ranked among the top five defensive back performers in both the 20-yard shuttle (3.94, second) and the 60-yard shuttle (11.15, fourth). His weakness is sometimes he can be inconsistent. When he loses his focus, he can get burned easy.

2) Can he support the run?

He can certainly provide run support and he knows how to “lay the wood” when needed. He is a physical player that does not shy away from contact or conducting a corner blitz.

3) Describe the best game he had at South Carolina?

Gilmore has had a lot of good games but the one that sticks out in my mind was the 2010 Alabama game. He lead the team in tackles and had two key sacks. If you recall, Bama came into town as the number one team and riding a winning streak. Gilmore had the corner spot on lockdown mode that made the defense very stingy that day and help to usher in a Gamecock win in route to a SEC East crown in 2010.

4) What kind of character or leader is he?

Gilmore leads by example. Sometimes he is quiet but he lets his playing do the talking. He is not afraid of anyone and knows what it takes to win football games. Gilmore was the leader in the secondary for USC for a number of years and it was routed in respect. The Bills got not only a good football player but a solid team player and community representative.

5) How does he match up in 1-on-1 coverage?

Some may say Gilmore does not like press coverage but that is not true. Gilmore was always matched up with the best wide out from the opposing team and remember we are talking about the SEC. Gilmore knows how to be physical, use his hands and has the quickness to recover.

6) Anything interesting about him that fans should know about?

Gilmore, coming out of high school, was named “Mr. Football” for the state of South Carolina.

7) Where do you see him in 10 yrs?

I see Gilmore still in the NFL and still a member of the Bills in 10 years. He is a solid football player that will put in the work to get better and he will be a great representative of the Bills in the community. Expect great things from him.

Is he a corner who can get picks or does he have hands of stone?

Gilmore has a knack for pin-pointing the ball in the air so it results in what a corner should do and that is knocking the ball down. However, he does have good hands and can get the INT so don’t doubt his abilities in that category.

9) How much was Gilmore helped with other components of South Carolina’s defense? Normally, if you have a great pass rush, your corner will be better because of it. Was that the case there?

The Gamecocks defense was stingy but don’t let that overstate how good Gilmore is. He matched up with the best and shut down the best in the SEC for the last three years. He helped the defense get better as he blanketed the opposing wide out so it allows the pass rush to do its job.

For the next few days or so, I’m going to reach out to some of the collegiate blogs on bloguin.com to ask about some of the prospects who may fall to the Bills at the #10 spot in the draft. For now, it is a Q&A with Ell from Bama Sports Report, to discuss Dre Kirkpatrick. Be sure to take this information and pass it on as your own when talking draft with your friends.

1) What are the strengths and weaknesses? 

Kirkpatrick is the prototypical shut down corner. He’s big, rangy, has great instincts and a mean streak. Like all good corners, confidence is not a weakness for Dre. He is, however, different from most other corner prospects in his ability to step up and play the run. He’s a very physical back who’s not afraid to hit. On the weakness side of the coin, he does not have elite straight line speed. However, to paraphrase Nick Saban at Alabama’s Pro Day, when a guy goes out and plays 3 years in the SEC and his speed doesn’t hamper him one bit, he’s probably not going to be OK with regards to speed. His hands/ball skills are also a bit of a question mark. After his freshman year, it was rare to see a ball thrown to his side of the field.

2) Can he start from day 1?

Kirkpatrick is probably a day one starter somewhere on the defense. Can he be the number one corner from day one? Probably not. He is, however, set up for an easy transition. Nick Saban’s defense is an NFL style defense, and his Bama players (and the LSU ones before them) have excelled early on in the NFL. Kirkpatrick didn’t start at top corner his first season at Alabama – he was used as a nickel/dime back that season. But to even get on the field for Nick Saban, you have to have a good head on your shoulders. He certainly possesses an above average football IQ.

3) What was the best game you saw him play?

Kirkpatrick’s best game is hard to pinpoint. He wasn’t a guy who generated interception after interception. He’s just a guy who took the other team’s number one receiver totally out of the game. It’s sometimes said that the less the announcers call a defensive back’s name, the better game he’s having, and that’s certainly true of Dre as often as not.

4) Would it be a reach if the Bills picked him at 10?

He’s probably a bit of a stretch that early. He has the skills to improve pretty much any defense, but his value isn’t as high as say a Trent Richardson. He is an impact player – just probably not a top 10 player.

5) What type of leader is he? Anything off the field you can tell us that would be interesting?

Kirkpatrick has been an exceptionally confident guy from day one, but he’s always been more of a lead by example on the field guy, as opposed to a guy who gets in other guys’ faces and gets folks fired up. That being said, he does come from a culture of winning. He was on championship level teams in high school, and in three years at Alabama, the Tide won two national championships and lost four total games. Sometimes having a guy like that around can really help others reach their championship potential. However, on the flip side of that, a few weeks after the BCS Championship Game, Dre was arrested for possession of marijuana in Florida. The charges were later dropped, and it clearly was a small amount of drugs, but it has to be considered when talking about leadership off the field.

All told, he’s an outstanding player with long term Pro-Bowl potential. His only downsides are the off-the-field red flag (a small one at that), and his lack of top end speed. He’d be a fine addition to any NFL team in need of a guy who can shut down the other guy’s top receiver.

And that’s pretty much every NFL team.