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Top 5 things to know about new Bills safety Cole Bishop | 2024 NFL Draft

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1 — Played with TE Dalton Kincaid in college

When Bishop arrives in Buffalo, he'll be reuniting with one of his college teammates. Bishop and Bills TE Dalton Kincaid teamed up in Utah during the 2021 and 2022 season. In those two seasons, Utah went 20-8 with back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances.

During his NFL Combine media availability, Bishop said covering Kincaid everyday in practice made him a better player.

2 — One of the Pac-12's top defenders

Throughout his time at Utah, Bishop consistently improved year-over-year. In his freshman season, Bishop was a Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention where he had 54 tackles. A year later, Bishop was once again a Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention but led the team with 84 tackles, 6 TFL and one INT.

As a junior, Bishop developed a more well-rounded skill set, setting career highs in third-down stops (9.5), INTs (2), and fumble recoveries (2). Bishop was named to the Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team and the College Football Network All-America Second Team.

Bishop made 29 starts in 35 career games with Utah. He also won the Most Outstanding Athlete award for all of Utah Athletics in 2023-24.

3 — An athlete at a young age

Bishop began playing football at five years old, playing as a primarily a running back and linebacker throughout childhood before moving to safety in eighth grade.

The Peachtree City, GA native was a starter all four years of high school, earning first-team All-State and County MVP honors and snagging three receiving touchdowns. Bishop and his high school team won regional titles all four years of his high school career.

4 — Senior Bowl standout

Prior to the NFL Draft, Bishop participated in the Reese's Senior Bowl and was one of the standout performers. Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy said Bishop improved his draft stock to the point where "teams (were) telling us he's not getting out of Round 2."

Scroll to see the best photos from inside the Bills draft room during Friday's 2nd & 3rd rounds.

5 — Dane Brugler's take on the Bills' newest safety

The Athletic’s Draft analyst Dane Brugler had high praise for Bishop, saying the 21-year-old had "NFL starter-caliber talent".

Bishop gets downhill fast, running a 4.45 40-yard dash, and is a hard hitter. At Utah, Bishop played both as a safety and, at times, as a nickel linebacker. Brugler called Bishop an "impactful blitzer", tallying 7.5 sacks in his three years at Utah.

Bishop has a knack for playing the robber position, using his field vision as he lines up in the middle of the secondary.

"He can cover tight ends and shows terrific vision in zone to diagnose route combinations and drive on the football," Brugler wrote.

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