Under the First Round Radar: Cole Bishop, Safety, Utah

Utah safety Cole Bishop is a very intuitive athlete in the secondary.

He is an explosive, smart support defender and an attacker at the LOS (line of scrimmage).

Bishop is a disciplined coverage defender over the top who can also cut off running angles and impose his will in run defense.

This Utah defender is a multi-year starter and his versatility will be a big deal for an NFL franchise

Overview: Cole Bishop

6-Foot-2, 207 pounds

40 Time: 4.50 (nfldraftbuzz.com)

2022 stats: 83 tackles (47 solo), 1.5 sacks, 1 INT and 3 passes defended

Level of Competition: Medium

Colton Edwards Grade: Late First Round

2022 Film Evaluated: USC (PAC-12 CG), Oregon, Florida & UCLA

2023 Film Evaluated: Florida & Oregon State

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report:

A high-energy and high-motor leader in the secondary. Not only does he play in deep thirds, but he can also play through the box. Utah plays him inside the box as a blitzer, contain man or lower zone coverage. His speed and athleticism allow him to cover tight ends and maybe even some slot receivers, if needed. He has the ball-tracking skills to create turnovers. An easy mover due to his fluidity, with a flexible lower half who can flip and transition and/or put his foot in the ground and attack the football downhill. He has great change-of-direction ability to mirror underneath but does solid work out of press and off coverage. Willing to come up and fill against the run and take on blockers with force. Finally, his processing IQ allows him to diagnose plays quickly and put himself in a position to make a play on the football quickly. 

Weaknesses: Needs to consistently wrap up in tackling instead of going for the “big” hit. Even though he has a good size, he needs to build up muscle and strength.

Summary:

Bishop is a true zone coverage safety, but his versatility allows him to be packaged all over the field. You could say his best trait is underneath coverage, closer to the LOS which would help defenses in the red zone. His leadership and instincts allow him to potentially lead an NFL defense, which is what you want. With that being said, it wouldn’t be the best option for teams to consistently allow Bishop in a single safety set or be isolated at the top. He has the ability to do so, but still needs development to turn and run on coverage.

Who will he remind us of?

Minnesota Vikings Safety Harrison Smith.

Colton just graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Science at the United States Sports Academy. He has previous coaching experience as a former offense and defensive line coach at a local high school. While performing those duties, he also worked at PFF (Pro Football Focus) for a brief moment of time. He currently develops scouting reports here at firstroundmock.com. His aspirations are to become an NFL Scout/GM in the future.