Scott McKillop Turning Heads at Buffalo Bills Camp

For Buffalo Bills linebacker Scott McKillop, every rep he takes for his new NFL team is one step closer toward redemption.

John Murphy of BuffaloBills.com detailed the 26-year-old’s attempt at “revamping a career,” outlining the linebacker’s brief yet challenging time in the league and his journey to Buffalo.

McKillop, who is 6’1” and 243 pounds, entered the NFL in 2009 as a fifth-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers. After leading the 49ers in special-teams tackles his rookie year, per Murphy, the linebacker tore his left ACL and patellar tendon in training camp of 2010.

San Francisco eventually cut him, and since then it’s been a long road back to recovery.

It was an apparent no-brainer, though, when the Bills signed McKillop this offseason as an unrestricted free agent. After all, he had spent his college career at the University of Pittsburgh playing under the vision and leadership of then-head coach Dave Wannstedt, who is now the Bills defensive coordinator.

Wannstedt had nothing but great things to say about his former defensive standout back in June when Buffalo reeled him in, per Chris Brown of Buffalo Bills.com:

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“He’s an exceptional player,” said the veteran coach.” He graduated in three and a half years so he’s a smart kid. He was a first team All-American. Led the nation in tackles. Tough guy that can play outside or inside. As a rookie he led the 49ers in tackles on special teams.”

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After battling for a fair opportunity to compete with the Bills, McKillop has earned his chance. He has done everything right throughout the offseason, contributing in any way possible and striving to improve with every snap. Then, he shined in Buffalo’s 2012 preseason opener, leading the team with six total tackles.  

Following his strong offseason with that kind of performance certainly caught the attention of Bills head coach Chan Gailey, who subsequently praised McKillop for his natural instincts and understanding of the game. Per BuffaloBills.com’s John Murphy:

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“Scott’s done a good job; he’s a good special teams player.  He’s making a real run at this football team.  He’s got a lot of natural instincts, that’s the great thing about him.  He understands the game. He’s got to continue to work on pass coverage, but we’ve got a couple of linebackers in that spot.”

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Murphy believes that McKillop’s tenacious efforts and consistent production on special teams are a primary reason he could make the team’s final 53-man roster.

While that may be true, McKillop could contribute to the Bills in more ways than just on special teams.

With no clear backup behind starting middle linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, McKillop is working hard to earn reps on defense. He even saw some first-team snaps recently in training camp, per Murphy’s report.

Currently, McKillop has the edge over rookie Tank Carder behind Sheppard on defense, based on the team’s official depth chart.

If he can stay healthy and continue to impress like he’s capable of, McKillop could turn out to be a steal for the Bills as they continue to revamp their 4-3 defense.

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