The Buffalo Bills for the first time in almost a decade have some notable questions at safety as last season seemed to be the end of an era with Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer as their starting safeties. General manager Brandon Beane has done his best to try and find replacements in the form of Taylor Rapp and Mike Edwards but second-round draft pick Cole Bishop should also be in the competition this summer.
Bishop is a versatile safety that does a good job both against the run on the line of scrimmage but also in coverage against tight ends. While it remains to be seen what the future holds for Cole Bishop, there are some interesting player comparisons based on his measurables.
According to MockDraftable.com, Bishop ranks in the 80th percentile or higher in Height, Vertical Jump, 40-yard dash, and Hand Size. However, the players that his measurables align with most might be a bit of a concern.
The top safety is Darrell Stuckey, who was a fourth-round pick by the Chargers in the 2010 NFL Draft, he would appear in 89 games over seven seasons. However, he would not start a single game and was primarily a special teams player.
This is not to take anything away from Stuckey, and he would even make the Pro Bowl as a special teams player in 2014. Unfortunately, the Bills are hoping Bishop is able to contribute more than just special teams.
The next safety is Major Wright, who was a third-round pick by the Chicago Bears in the 2010 NFL Draft. He would become a starter in his second season and had 42 starts over the next three seasons with nine interceptions and 18 passes defended.
Wright would also have 230 total tackles during those three final years but wasn't really a starter after he left Chicago. He would play three more seasons in the NFL with the Bucs but started only nine games during that stretch.
The measurables don't tell the whole story and this is not a guarantee that Cole Bishop will be a bust. Sean McDermott certainly got the safety position right the last time they had to address it, which was them signing Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer as free agents. The Bills clearly saw something in Bishop and it seems like it is only a matter of time before he is starting for this defense.