Utah’s Bishop Stars Among 2024 NFL Combine Safeties

The 2024 NFL Combine kicked off their field drills on Friday, as Utah’s All-American safeties Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki were looking to showcase their skills.

The results were mixed. Cole Bishop was a combine sensation, while Vaki will have to drastically improve his number during private workouts and the upcoming Utah Pro Day.

More on Bishop’s big day in a moment, let’s put Vaki’s performance into context.

Going into the combine, Vaki was expected to be a workout wonder. Unfortunately for Utah’s sophomore safety, he ran a 4.62 40 yard dash. He had a 39.5 inch vertical, but the report is that it was anticipated going into it that he’d clear 41 inches.

Known for his elite burst and change-of-direction, Vaki’s 40 time ranked 17 of 19 safeties. His 10 yard split was the ninth best safety time. His vertical put him fourth among the group. He had the fifth best broad jump at 10’5” feet.

Those numbers are not ideal, but Vaki is “football fast.” During the season, he was clocked at 20.3 and 21.5 mph on two different touchdowns.

Now for one of the stars of the combine…

Cole Bishop got himself PAID on Friday. The three-year starter and Utah captain cemented his status as one of the top safeties in the 2024 draft. Of the safeties, Bishop ran the third fastest 40 yard dash at 4.45 seconds. He ran a 1.52 10 yard split, with four prospects ahead of him that ran a 1.51. His vertical was fifth highest, at 39 inches. Bishop also had a broad jump that was seventh highest of his group, at 10’4” feet.

Bishop’s performance should put him firmly in the mix to be a second round pick to no later than an early third rounder.

To put things into context for both Bishop and Vaki, below are their RAS ratings (Relative Athletic Score).

The Combine will continue with Utah wide receiver Devaughn Vele, plus offensive linemen Keaton Bills and Sataoa Laumea. Consensus All-American defensive end Jonah Elliss arrived for interviews, but won’t participate in drills as he recovers from his late season injury.

Utah’s Pro Day will take place on March 21st where scouts will be eager to see if Vaki can improve on his combine numbers. The hope will also be that Elliss can show a himself with an extra three weeks to recover. There should be zero expectation for Bishop to participate in Utah’s Pro Day drills, as he has nothing left to prove.