Western Michigan’s Bilhal Kone embodies the ideal boundary corner. Throughout his college career, Kone demonstrated exceptional coverage skills and now aims to transition to the NFL. With NFL-level traits, Kone has the potential to emerge as one of the top corners in his class.
Our Bilhal Kone scouting report delves into everything you need to know about a player with evident flaws but also the potential to become one of the premier man-to-man corners in the league.
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Bilhal Kone Scouting Report
Size: 6’2, 190 pounds (Unverified)
Key Stat: 17 passes defended in 2 years at the FBS level
Projected Role: Starting Boundary Corner
Strengths
- Elite fluidity, loose hips that he can swivel on a dime in his backpedal
- Long and rangy, allows him to contest catches and get around big-bodied receivers to make plays on the ball
- Transitions in and out of break extremely well
- Anticipates routes well as a zone defender
- Fearless at the catch point
- Mirrors receivers well on any route outside the numbers
- Stays square and balanced
- Great movement and twitch to mirror receiver cuts
- Stays hip to hip with receivers without being handsy
Areas to Improve
- Didn’t display much physicality
- Play strength
- Lack of top-end speed
- Flat-footed tackler, let ball carriers get to him rather than being aggressive
- Tendency to give up separation on inside-breaking routes
- Struggled with bigger slot receivers (Harold Fannin Jr.)
Ceiling: Long-term starter and an elite coverage corner
Floor: Developmental backup
Bilhal Kone NFL Draft Outlook
Kone is an incredibly intriguing prospect. His tape showcases phenomenal coverage ability and movement skills. Kone is a fluid and rangy corner who did well mirroring opposing receivers. His play elevated when Western Michigan played against top competition. One of his best games on tape was against Ohio State in 2024.
Kone was given a strong diet of coverage assignments. He looked more than comfortable in zone and man coverage. He is an intelligent player and it showed with his instincts in zone coverage.
He’s able to use his eyes and length to break on routes and create pass breakups and did well rerouting receivers by giving them zero cushion. Kone is a good anticipator in coverage and while the interception numbers weren’t there, he did well limiting completions.
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In man-coverage is where Kone’s tape really excites you. Kone displayed fluid, smooth hip movements, and strong footwork. He was able to stay at the hip of the receivers he was tasked with covering and mirrored their movements to suffocate them in coverage. Kone was aggressive at the catch point and broke up 50-50 balls at a high level.
Most of his reps were in off-coverage. He didn’t show much in terms of press and there were times on tape where his play strength flashed as a concern. He was also a bit vulnerable to inside routes and too reliant on his length to make up for separation he allowed. He will benefit from an NFL weight training program and to become a consistent starter he will have to become stronger.
Kone’s technique as a tackler is also a concern. He did well getting his pad level low, but his head and shoulders were often all over the place and he was undisciplined in maintaining his assignments as a boundary tackler. This is stuff that can be improved and not too much of a concern but definitely something in his game that needs work.
Kone’s movement and instincts in coverage bode extremely well for him in terms of projection to the next level. He should be able to have a clean transition to the next level as his traits are what you look for in an NFL corner.
He will disrupt and with the length and fluidity, he should have no issues in coverage. With the right development, I believe Kone can become a highly productive player. He has strong potential but also has the foundation of talent to be a contributor right away.
Bottom Line: Kone is a true boundary corner. His coverage ability is one of the best in this entire class and the bread and butter of his game. As he gets stronger he could be a nightmare for receivers and will suffocate in coverage.
Kone has some kinks in his game that need work but it’s things that can be fixed. Teams will be enamored by his NFL-ready traits and he is a guy that could go earlier than anticipated and make a big impact at the next level.
Draft Projection: Third Round
