Cole Bishop spent the past three seasons making a big impact in the Pac-12 Conference.
Now, the Utah safety will have his chance in the NFL.
Bishop was selected by the Buffalo Bills on Friday during the second round of the 2024 NFL draft in Detroit. He was the 60th overall selection in this year’s draft.
The 6-foot-2 Bishop, a Georgia native, was the first former Ute to come off the board during this year’s draft.
He was also the first Utah safety to be drafted since Julian Blackmon and Terrell Burgess were both third-round selections in the 2020 draft.
Bishop earned All-Pac-12 honors each of the past three seasons — following a pair of honorable-mention honors in 2021 and 2022 with second-team accolades during the 2023 campaign — before leaving after his junior year to pursue a pro career.
He was a three-year starter at Utah, starting 29 of the 35 games he played in college.
During his sophomore year, Bishop led the Utes in tackles (83) and also had the most tackles for loss (6.0) in the secondary.
By going to Buffalo, Bishop is reunited with former Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid. Kincaid was a first-round selection by Buffalo in 2023.
What experts said about the draft selection
“Safety was a big need for the Bills, and they go back to the Utes for help after taking Dalton Kincaid in Round 1 a year ago,” said NFL.com’s Eric Edholm. “Bishop is a very good athlete and field general who can play the post safety spot and cover a lot of ground. He played like the QB of the Utes’ defense the past two years and could be a rookie starter for Buffalo.”
“A very instinctive player, sometimes too aggressive, Bishop is explosive and still just 21,” said The Athletic’s Nick Baumgardner, who gave the choice a B- grade. “While Bishop is a versatile back-end defender who could be a starter sooner than later. I would’ve preferred Washington State’s Jaden Hicks. But this is a solid choice in an area of need for Buffalo.”
“With the age and health of safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer leading to a reset at safety in Buffalo this offseason, it was time to add youth to the mix,” said ESPN’s Matt Miller. “Bishop, my No. 59 overall player, has starting strong safety traits out of the gate. He’s an elite tackler who lives near the line of scrimmage but has the speed to make a difference in coverage. Don’t be surprised if he and Taylor Rapp aren’t the starting Week 1 duo in the backend of the secondary.”
Scouting report on Cole Bishop
“Bishop needs to put more impact plays on tape by setting traps for the quarterback in coverage, but he plays with top-down explosiveness and the football IQ to make plays at all three levels of the field,” said The Athletic’s Dane Brugler. “He has NFL starter-caliber talent and is ideally suited for a robber role.”
“He stays busy around the line of scrimmage and can dart into gaps but can be a little slow playing off of big blockers. Bishop has man coverage potential on tight ends and is a bona fide striker when crashing down from his zone perch,” said NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein. “He balances pursuit flow with a last-line-of-defense mentality as a run defender from high safety but will lose discipline in his deep safety duties at times.”
“Bishop is an interchangeable and versatile safety with good size and speed. He closes well and limits production after the catch when breaking on passes. He can turn and run with tight ends and bigger receivers, too,” said ESPN’s Steve Muench. “Bishop also gets to depth and reads the quarterback in underneath zone. Plus, he had three sacks in 2023 and has the burst to get to the quarterback when he blitzes. He’s a rangy run-defender with good stopping power.”
Cole Bishop draft profile
- Position: Safety.
- College: Utah.
- Height: 6-foot-2.
- Weight: 206 pounds.
- Age: 21.
- College stats (three seasons): 197 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, 14 pass deflections, four fumble recoveries, three interceptions, one forced fumble.