“From Overlooked to Essential: Beanie Bishop’s Rise with the Pittsburgh Steelers”
Even now, I’m surprised that West Virginia cornerback Beanie Bishop went undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite being a bit undersized and mainly a slot cornerback, the NFL is increasingly valuing that position. Given his consensus All-American season, he seemed at least worthy of a seventh-round pick.
However, Bishop went through all three draft days without being selected but quickly secured a free agent deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, joining Zach Frazier.
Bishop performed well in the spring and is already earning chances to start as the team’s nickel corner early in training camp, according to Noah Strackbein of Pittsburgh Steelers On SI.
As an undrafted free agent, he spent more time on the field with the first-team defense than any other slot candidate. Although unexpected as an undrafted player, Bishop signed with the Steelers and immediately became a contender for their starting slot cornerback position. This opportunity seemed to close when Sutton was signed, but it reopened after Sutton received an eight-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy earlier this month.
In his only season at West Virginia, Bishop tallied 67 tackles, four interceptions, and led the nation with 24 passes defended and 20 pass breakups.