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WCG’s lead draft analyst spoke with Western Michigan’s star cornerback.
It’s been a long, winding road for Western Michigan cornerback Bilhal Kone, but the path will soon lead him to his dream: the NFL.
As he prepares for the 2025
NFL Draft, Kone carries with him an accomplished resume that has seen him consistently improve everywhere he’s been. A big-bodied cornerback at 6-foot-1 and 186 pounds, he enters the league with a combined 17 pass deflections from his two seasons with the Broncos.
Windy City Gridiron spoke with Kone about his journey to Western Michigan, the NFL talent they’ve put out in recent years, his experience at the
Senior Bowl and more.
JI: You came up from JUCO, jumped to Indiana State and then landed at Western Michigan. What was that journey like to get to Western Michigan, and then not only to make it there, but to play as well as you did?
BK: I think the JUCO route really did just help me stay on the course. Going there, you really got to figure out why you play football. Your purpose makes you stronger. Going from there to Indiana State, it was a dream come true. I mean, I didn’t even know much about what it feels like to be D1, except for wanting to play there. When I got there, I took full advantage of every opportunity I had. It didn’t matter to me if they were a smaller school or not, but I also knew I wanted to go up and play the best competition I could. That’s when I made that transition over to Western Michigan, and I [was just] working. I knew how hard I was working. I knew I could play with those guys, so that’s what I did.
JI: When did it hit you that the NFL was a strong possibility for you?
BK: For me, it was really after JUCO. JUCO set all my goals down for me. I’m going to be honest, after JUCO, I knew that I could play the game wherever. However hard I worked, I knew that that’s how far I could go. Honestly, though, once I hit Western Michigan, I saw that actual guys were coming out of here with real draft grades, getting drafted. You got Skyy Moore, my guy. One of my best friends, Keni-H Lovely. People are going to the league, Marshawn Kneeland. Starting to see that, those push your goals even further. Having those people in front of you that you see work on a daily basis, it’s like, “yeah, this can happen for me, too.”
Bilhal Kone is an underrated CB prospect.
He’s 6’1, 190lbs and has allowed just 2 TDs in the last 2 seasons while adding 13 PBUs and 2 picks at W. Michigan.
MONSTER at the catch point and fits on the boundary in a zone-heavy D.
I expect he’ll turn heads at the Senior Bowl
pic.twitter.com/zfP63Uvwl9
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF)
January 26, 2025
JI: Like you said, Western Michigan consistently puts out NFL talent more than most Group of 5 schools. Have you talked to any of those guys to see how their pre-draft process compared to what you’re going through right now?
BK: Marshawn Kneeland gave a great example. He always tells me this, but like you said, we were basically in the same shoes a year ago. Guys were looking at him differently, being a MAC guy, not going up against the best, but he got to display at the Combine why he is [one of the best], and he got to display at the Reese’s [Senior Bowl] why he is. I feel like I was able to do the same thing, and those are just little starts for me that’s going to wake people up pretty soon.
JI: What was your favorite part about your week at the Senior Bowl?
BK: Honestly, the community service was probably the most fun part, seeing like how much they really care about things, more than just football. Also, being around those types of guys who could all have a big ego, put all that to the side for the community out there is really good. Also, being around them during practices and then competing against the best. That made me feel really great, knowing I’m competing against the best, and I’m staying with them. I’m one of them, as well, which is all I was there for,
JI: You’ve got long arms and great size for a cornerback. Can you speak to the advantages that presents you at your position and how you maximize it?
BK: It’s an advantage for me, being a corner that presses to that I can be a lot more patient [because I have] more room. When guys are giving me things or teams are giving me things at the line, I don’t have to be grabbing. They always feel out a bigger corner. That should be the first thing it does. I trust my feet enough to meet them at this point and get my hands on them, so I have room to make all different types of moves. I have a big toolbox [of coverage techniques] for being longer; I can jam at the press point, but I can also be patient. I’m smart, as well, knowing my splits, knowing the down and distance.
I haven't watched a ton of CBs because the Bears dont really need one. But Western Michigan's Bilhal Kone has my attention. Patient and oily hips, good zone awareness, and quick feet to mirror receivers. Really excited to see how he performs at the combine
#BuildingTheBoard pic.twitter.com/zypPUiydyw
— Chicago Football Connection (@CFCBears)
February 19, 2025
JI: Who’s the toughest coverage assignment you’ve had to go up against?
BK: I got this question at the Senior Bowl, too. I’d say [
Ohio State wide receiver] Jeremiah Smith. Even though he’s young, I feel like, for how young he is, he’s a baller. He knows how to use his length really well, and his speed; he knows how to disguise his speed. He knows how to drop his hips, for how tall he is. Those are things that real experienced players do, and he’s already doing it at such a young age. It’s nice to see. That was great competition.
JI: That’s a statement game going against Smith and that whole OSU offense, and you graded out pretty well!
BK: Yeah, definitely. It was definitely a game that I had on my books for that whole year, that whole offseason. With everything I worked on that offseason, I feel like the improvements I made from the year before showed up in that game, for sure.
JI: How do you like to spend your free time outside of football?
BK: Outside of football, I like to be watching highlights of football. That’s something I do. I like to hoop with my guys, but I haven’t done that in a while. I haven’t been really around them, but since I’ve been down here in Tampa, I’ve just been going on night walks, because of the views here. I’m from Minnesota; there’s not really great views like that. I got here, I’m going on night walks, playing the game with my guys. That’s really it. All I do is football. The little bit of time I have off, I’m just recovering. I’m probably playing the game with the guys and then watching football.
JI: Who are some of your go-to guys to watch highlights of?
BK: For me, it’s Denzel Ward. I’m watching a lot of him. I’m watching Patrick Surtain, I’m watching a lot of Jaylon Johnson, Greg Newsome from the
Browns. I like guys that also who play nickel, like the [Jalen] Ramseys, Antoine Winfield, those guys. I feel like they’re so smart, so I like watching them. I mean, they’re playing the game at like 100 miles an hour. They’re processing so quick. It’s always incredible.
JI: I’m a Bears guy, so I’m glad to hear you say Jaylon Johnson. That dude’s legit.
Bk: Yeah, he’s a baller. He disguises things really well. He’s also always going to match up against the best, and he gives them a hard time every time. I’m from Minnesota, so when the Vikings play the Bears, it’s a great game to watch. You see him going against [Justin] Jefferson, giving them a hard time. That’s tough to do.
JI: Let’s say I’m an NFL general manager. What would I be getting if I drafted you to my team?
BK: You’re getting a dog. That’s the first thing. You’re getting a dog. You’re going get a leader. You’re going get someone who’s willing to put anything down to win, in whichever way he has to. You’re getting a guy with a chip on his shoulder, who’s coming into this league knowing that he has to start building up trust in the locker room to his coaches. You’re getting a trustable guy, a guy who’s about winning more than anything. That’s from the chip I’ve had since I’ve been in JUCO. You’re getting a guy who wants to be an All-Pro one day and wants to be talked about as one of the best one day. All that work comes with confidence, as well. You’re getting a very confident guy.
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