101 EMBED
“Just be patient,” they said. “Your time will come."
After three seasons of biding his time, the San Francisco 49ers fifth-round pick in 2011 earned the starting center job at the beginning of the 2014 season.
“I stayed humble with it,” Kilgore remembered. “Finally I got my time, and I was playing at a pretty high level.”
Kilgore’s first season as a starter, however, was cut short. Seven games into the year, San Francisco’s center broke his leg in Denver against the Broncos. Kilgore moved to the Injured Reserve List and spent the subsequent 12 months rehabbing his way back to health.