New York Giants Draft Prospect: SAF Cole Bishop

The Giants are likely to add another safety through the draft. How would Cole Bishop fit?

Cole Bishop, SAF

Height: 6’2
Weight: 206 lbs.
Class: Junior
School: Utah
Stats

MEASUREMENTS
40-yard dash: 4.45
10-yard split: 1.52
Vertical Jump: 39”
Broad Jump: 10’4
Hands: 9 ½”
Arms: 29 ¾”

A former three-star recruit, as a linebacker, out of Starrs Mill High School in Fayetteville, Georgia, where he was the 48th Georgian and the 73rd linebacker during the 2021 recruiting cycle. Bishop started 29 of 35 career games with the Utes, he was a Jim Thorpe Award Semi-Finalist and was a Second-team All-Pac 12 in 2023.

Bishop’s top collegiate speed in 2023 was 20.7 MPH. He aligned from depth, in the slot, and in the box. He scored a 9.82 on the Relative Athletic Score after his testing at the NFL Scouting Combine. He also had a good week in Mobile for the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

Strengths

• Great combination of height and athletic ability
• Fast straight line speed with very good burst
• Changes direction well and is agile - very controlled athlete
• Very fluid athlete who stays low in his transitions
• Coordinated and balanced
• Rotated often, solid angles when tasked with unique rotations
• Good feet- doesn’t have much wasted movement
• Cerebral player who sees the field well from depth
• Solid tape in man coverage when tasked
• Has upside in man coverage against tight ends
• Pesky in man coverage, stays in the hip - good technique at the catch point
• Stayed in phase - good timing through the catch point
• This was further substantiated at the Senior Bowl
• Solid overall eyes from zone coverage
• Sifts through trash in coverage well - good spatial awareness
• Exceptional angles downhill outside the numbers in run support
• Quick and aggressive to come downhill and fit the run
• Above average run defender, with room to grow due to less-than-ideal tackling technique
• Will be an asset as a blitzer - 39 pressures in college
• Motor for days - elite competitive toughness
• Tough and versatile player

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Weaknesses

• Tall but sub-optimal arm length
• A bit lean for a safety
• Too high into the tackle point
• Can bit a bit wild into the tackle point - missed 13.8% of his tackles in college
• Could be more physical when near the trenches
• Colorado in Week 13 was rough from a coverage/instincts standpoint, but that wasn’t consistent throughout most of his 2023 tape

Summary

Cole Bishop hasn’t generated much buzz, but he may be one of the bigger winners of the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the Scouting Combine. He’s not the most dense, and lacks elite length, but he’s tall, intelligent, and a fluid athlete to operate in space. Bishop does a good job coming downhill to execute his run assignments with adequate overall play strength. His tackling technique could improve, but he can play from depth or near the line of scrimmage, with upside as a blitzer.

In the correct environment, Bishop could start year one while operating as a core special teamer. He has the eyes and route understanding for zone, can play the post as a single-high, and is annoying as a man coverage defender against tight ends. He is a smart, tough, and dependable player at a position the Giants may need when the NFL draft rolls around.

GRADE: 6.31 

Nick Falato

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