Cole Bishop, S Utah: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Bishop was a three-star recruit from Starr's Mill High School in Fayetteville, Ga. in the class of 2021

Utah junior Cole Bishop had a phenomenal career with the Utes. The physical safety is headed into the 2024 NFL Draft and should be a top 100 pick. He projects as a third round selection in a safety class with plenty of day two options.

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Cole Bishop, S Utah: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior safety from Peachtree City, Ga.

Background: Bishop was a three-star recruit from Starr's Mill High School in Fayetteville, Ga. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 669 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 710 for On3.com. Bishop was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 78 grade out of 100. He originally committed to Duke before flipping to Utah. As a high school junior, Bishop totaled 101 tackles, nine passes defensed, and five interceptions. He also carried the ball five times for 145 yards and a touchdown as a senior. Bishop was a First Team All-State honoree as a junior and an All-Region and All-County selection as a sophomore. He also received county and region MVP honors and was invited to the Blue-Grey All-American Bowl.

Injuries & Off-Field: Injured vs. Washington State in 2021 and didn’t play the following week, missed 2023 Arizona game

Awards: 2021 Honorable Mention All-Pac-12, 2022 Honorable Mention All-Pac-12, 2023 Second Team All-Pac-12

Pros: Special teams experience on the punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, good frame with necessary size and power, motor runs hot, smooth and nimble open-field mover, mostly fluid lower half, good closing burst, reads and anticipates route combinations, reads the quarterback’s eyes, quickly recognizes wide receiver screens, effective jamming tight ends in press coverage, patient in off-man coverage in the slot, patience in off-man allows him to quickly shut off in or out-breaking routes, heavy hitter, receivers working over the middle should fear him, physical at the catch point, delivers big hits at the catch point, takes good angles to the ball, quick downhill trigger against the run, comes downhill to join gang tackles, acceleration pops in lateral pursuit vs. the run, excellent flowing laterally in the run game, instances of setting the edge when playing in the box, size and athleticism makes him difficult to handle for RBs in pass pro

Cons: Arm length is good but not great, athletic traits are good but not elite, not a scheme transcendent player, versatility might not translate to the NFL, power doesn’t match his frame at times, lacks sideline-to-sideline range for single-high, doesn’t have a profile suited for trail technique or countering high-end vertical threats, allows too much cushion throughout the route in man coverage, awareness outside his cone of vision is inconsistent, ball skills and production can be hit-or-miss, flies in at top speed and misses some tackles

Overview: Bishop has special teams experience on the punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units. He has a great frame for a safety with the size and power profile to be a consistent run defender. Bishop’s motor is great and combines with his smooth, nimble open-field movement skills, mostly fluid lower half, and closing burst to give him a large range of influence on any given play. He handled a large variety of assignments at Utah, including two-high and single-high looks, playing off-man coverage against receivers and tight ends in the slot, some press man against tight ends, and reps in the box playing a pseudo-weakside linebacker role. In coverage, Bishop is solid in deep halves but is more effective near the line of scrimmage, where he doesn’t have to worry about getting into a vertical foot race. He is at his best with the play unfolding in front of him so he can use his quick trigger, acceleration, and skill flowing laterally to the football to pursue and bring down the ball carrier. The Georgia native could keep his man coverage snaps against tight ends in the NFL. He reads and anticipates route combinations at a high level for a junior. He also reads the quarterback’s eyes to take away the offense’s initial option. Bishop is effective jamming tight ends in press coverage, and his patience in off-man coverage allows him to close at the top of the stem quickly and shut off in or out-breaking routes. The All-Pac-12 selection is a heavy-hitting defender who pass catchers working over the middle of the field must respect. His physicality translates to the catch point, where he delivers big hits to jar the ball loose. Bishop takes good angles to the ball and is quick to recognize and trigger against the run or screens. He excels at working laterally to the ball, using his acceleration and closing burst to outrace other defenders to the carrier. There are even instances of him setting the edge when playing in the box. Additionally, Bishop’s size and athleticism make him an effective blitzer that running backs struggle to handle in pass protection. Despite his good build, Bishop’s arm length appears to be good but not great. His athletic traits are impressive but fall short of elite, making him not a scheme transcendent player. Elements of his versatility will translate to the NFL, but other parts will need to be left behind. He doesn’t have the sideline-to-sideline range for single-high duties and is clearly a little uncomfortable in man coverage. He allows too much cushion throughout the route when working in man and doesn’t have a profile suited for tracking down vertical threats outside the numbers. Bishop’s awareness outside his cone of vision is inconsistent and can be exploited, especially in condensed areas like the red zone. He doesn’t always play to his size. The leap-off-your-couch hits are great, but there are tackle and block defeat attempts when he showcases less power. Time in an NFL weight room should fix that. He likes to come downhill or flow laterally at top speed, which leads to him arriving too hot at the tackle point and sliding off the ball carrier or whiffing as his momentum takes him out of the play.

Overall, Bishop is a physical safety who thrives flying to the football as a second level defender or low safety in coverage. He’s completely capable of working in two-high looks, but single-high and high doses of man coverage in the slot are likely off the table. Bishop’s play diagnosis and acceleration will be crucial as he adapts to the elevated play of the NFL.

Role & Scheme Fit: Strong safety in Cover 2 or box safety in Cover 3

Round Projection: Third Round

Size: 6'2", 207 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 01-05-24