Times were different in 2021, but the players around him were star-struck when he walked in.
“When he first walked in, he’s got that quiet voice, and he’s like ‘How you guys doing, I’m Stephon Gilmore,'” former cornerback Keith Taylor said, doing his best low-key Gilmore impersonation. “I looked at him like ‘Dang.’ I mean, my freshman year, in 2017, he got a pick in the Super Bowl. So it’s crazy seeing him.
“But he fits in. It’s not like a starstruck thing anymore. He’s like one of the guys now.”
Gilmore was originally a first-round pick of the Bills in 2012, chosen 10th overall, and one spot after the Panthers chose Hall of Famer Luke Kuechly.