Bills draft Bishop in 2nd to address need at safety

The Buffalo Bills selected Utah safety Cole Bishop in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, No. 60 overall.

Bishop's versatility will be a huge addition to a Buffalo secondary that lost key stars this offseason. Corner Tre'Davious White signed with the Los Angeles Rams, and safety Jordan Poyer joined the Miami Dolphins in free agency. Veteran safety Micah Hyde remains unsigned.

Buffalo originally owned the 28th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft but traded down and acquired an extra Day 2 selection. The Bills kicked off the second round by taking wide receiver Keon Coleman before addressing another top priority with Bishop late in Round 2.

Pre-draft profile

With 4.45 speed and a massive frame, Bishop is one of the freakiest safeties in this year's draft. He played a variety of positions at Utah, including single-high, two-deep, in the box, and in the slot. However, where he'll be best deployed in the future is likely inside the box or as a two-deep safety who can jump routes over the middle in a robber role. Bishop can sometimes be a split second late to close on deeper routes, which gets him in trouble at times. It also causes problems when he comes in at full steam and over-pursues his target. But, he's lethal closer to the line of scrimmage where he can be a menace in the backfield and punish receivers with devastating hits when they catch balls in his vicinity. His ability to get after the quarterback is also a strong attribute in his profile. While Bishop may not have the splash plays in his highlight reel that others in this class do, he has all the fundamental traits to develop into a starting box safety.