ESPN thinks Bills draft pick will be one of NFL's most impactful rookie defenders

The Buffalo Bills’ defensive backend, for the first time in roughly a decade, is set to receive a makeover.

Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer have manned the safety spots for Buffalo’s defense since the 2017 NFL season, combining for 202 starts over a seven-year stretch in which they cemented themselves as one of the NFL’s most dynamic safety duos. That type of continuity in a defensive backfield is almost unprecedented in professional football; reality—and biology—setting in was a matter of when, not if.

And Buffalo got its self-inflicted reality check in the 2024 NFL offseason, allowing both Hyde and Poyer to walk in free agency. Though emotional, the motivation for their respective departures was rooted in football; both Hyde and Poyer are now 33 years old and have each missed time over the past two seasons due to injury—the team, at some point, needed to usher in the next generation at safety.

And the Bills may have found the centerpiece of that new era in the form of Utah safety Cole Bishop, who they selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Though not a surefire starter given the presence of the recently re-signed Taylor Rapp and stopgap Mike Edwards, Bishop, thanks to his positional versatility and general talent, projects as a long-term option at safety for Buffalo. The 21-year-old tallied 197 tackles, 12 pass deflections, and three interceptions throughout his three years in Salt Lake City.

Despite the competition on the depth chart, Bishop’s impact could be felt as early as his rookie season. ESPN’s Field Yates recently wrote an article ranking the 10 offensive and defensive players selected outside of the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft in the best situations to succeed immediately, placing the versatile safety at No. 3 on his list.

“It's a new era at safety in Buffalo after longtime starter Jordan Poyer was released (and signed by Miami) and with ongoing uncertainty around whether Micah Hyde will resume his playing career,” Yates wrote. “Bishop landed in a perfect spot, set up to play a big role alongside Taylor Rapp and/or Mike Edwards. His speed, blitizing ability and man-to-man coverage skills will get him on the field.”

The Bills have long placed tremendous responsibility on their safeties; the defenders not only have to act as an all-encompassing safety net over the top, but they also have to be interchangeable, sometimes playing as a single-high safety on one snap and in the box as a pass-rusher on the next. It’s a tall task, but it’s one Bishop has experience in; he notched 181 snaps in the box for Utah last year in addition to 247 at free safety, per Pro Football Focus.

He’ll have his work cut out for him to supplant one of Rapp or Edwards on the depth chart throughout the summer, but the idea of Bishop carving out a starting role in Buffalo straight away is not egregious; he has the well-rounded skillset and plays with the versatility the Bills covet in the position, making him a tailor-made fit in a Buffalo defense that’s looking for two new starters at safety.