A three-star recruit out of Starr’s Mill High School in Fayetteville, Georgia, Cole Bishop got a very nice start with the Utes, amassing 54 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three sacks to go with five pass breakups as a true freshman in 2021. Bishop was named Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention in both 2021 and 2022, but 2023 was when Bishop’s coverage abilities really came around.
After allowing opponent passer ratings of 107.4 and 104.2 in his first two seasons, Bishop dropped that down to 67.8 in 2023, allowing 14 catches on 26 targets for 170 yards, 58 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and one pass breakup. He also had three sacks, 12 total pressures, 47 solo tackles, 22 stops, and nine missed tackles. Bishop was a 2023 Jim Thorpe Award Semifinalist, and participated in the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
PLUSES
— Bishop has on-field speed that stands out over and over on tape; it gives him the ability to play everywhere from blitzer to robber to post safety.
— Can match and carry speed receivers up the chute and to either boundary; has true sideline-to-sideline burst both as a safety and occasionally as an outside cornerback.
— Has a nice backpedal and turn and can play press-bail. Very versatile in coverage.
— Eager and aggressive (sometimes too aggressive) tackler who can level the boom when his technique is on point.
— Has the wherewithal to come down hard from the second and third levels to erase screens and other short passes.
MINUSES
— On-field speed can be a blessing and a curse; he’s eager to get to the receiver, but can be waylaid by backfield action and route concepts.
— Tackling can be an adventure. Bishop has the acceleration to get anywhere, but you don’t always know what’s going to happen from a tackling perspective when he gets there.
— Needs to better square up and hit the hole with authority when coming down from the box — he’s not always a disciplined landmark player. Short arms might add to this issue.
Bishop is one of the more fun players to watch in this draft class; you’ll want to throw on some early Metallica as a soundtrack for his play style. His NFL coaches will have to rein the more random elements of his frenetic demeanor, but over time, he could be a multi-position star in the pros.
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