NFL Draft buzz building for this mid-round safety

The Buffalo Bills released long-time safety Jordan Poyer and it's expected that Micah Hyde will retire. But, even if he doesn't, he's a free agent and I doubt the Bills would bring him back unless it's on a very team-friendly deal. Taylor Rapp was just extended, and Cam Lewis was re-signed. The team also signed Mike Edwards to a one-year free agent deal. Because the team signed Edwards to just a one-year deal, leads me to believe they may be looking to the draft for a long-term answer.

Utah safety Cole Bishop has been seemingly climbing draft boards ever since his impressive NFL Combine performance, where he scored an 80 on Next Gen Stat's overall athleticism scale. It was the fourth-best score of all safeties at the NFL Combine, plus he recorded an excellent 40-time of 4.45 seconds. He brings size and physicality to the position as well, at 6'2" and 206 pounds.

He is a safety who is not afraid to hit people and let them know they are not welcome in his area of the field. He has several outstanding traits but his physicality is one thing that stands out, he also has a motor that never stops. He is all gas and no brakes type of player, even when not around the ball. These are the type of players I want on the Bills roster, similar to defensive tackle Khristian Body, who brings that relentless pursuit and never quit attitude.

Buffalo Bills could do well by selecting Cole Bishop in the 2024 NFL Draft

He's a three-year starter with 34 collegiate games and over 1,600 career snaps. He brings a lot of experience and accolades with him. In 2023, he was named a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, named to All-Pac 12 teams for several seasons, and was a first-team selection by Phil Steele. Last year, when targeted in the passing game, he allowed a passer rating of only 66.0. He's currently projected to go somewhere in the fourth round and the Bills own two fourth-round picks this year.