Former WVU CB Beanie Bishop feels at home in slot — and with Steelers

Barely recruited out of high school, not invited to the NFL Combine and not selected with any of the 257 picks in the recent NFL Draft, Beanie Bishop knows about overcoming underwhelming expectations.

Setting out to make the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted rookie defensive back is just the next step.

“It’s just a testament to all of the work that I put in, honestly, just one of those things that fuels the fire,” Bishop said Friday after the first on-field session of Steelers rookie minicamp. “I’ve always felt like I was overlooked and undervalued, so it just helps me. Whenever I get comfortable or anything (Bishop says to himself), ‘Remember, guys didn’t think that you should be here.’

“I had a teacher that once told me, when I told her I wanted to be a professional football player, ‘Get a real job. That’s not possible.’ So I always try to do the impossible to other people even though I know that it’s possible.”

“I had a teacher that once told me, when I told her I wanted to be a professional football player, ‘Get a real job - that’s not possible.’”

-Steelers rookie DB Beanie Bishop pic.twitter.com/op2ohps4jH

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) May 10, 2024

What is entirely possible is Bishop showing enough over this summer that he wins the job as the Steelers’ starting slot/nickel. Though his size — 5-foot-9, 182-pounds — is a significant aspect of what’s been holding back his career prospects, Bishop is viewed by the organization as a legitimate option to play inside. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in the hours after the draft last month.

Bishop ascended to a AP All-American status in 2023 during his only season at West Virginia after beginning his career at Western Kentucky and spending 2022 at Minnesota.

“He’s just a great player, a great teammate, great person and physical guy on the field,” said Bishop’s teammate at West Virginia, Steelers second-round pick Zach Frazier. “He’s just always around the ball, whether it’s making interceptions, breaking up passes or making tackles. He plays hard.”

According to WVU, Bishop tied for second nationally last season with 17 forced incompletions. He had a team-high four interceptions while mostly playing on the outside for the Mountaineers.

The Steelers were one of the few teams that hosted Bishop for an official pre-draft visit.

“I felt like it was a mutual respect thing,” Bishop said of his day as a prospect at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex last month. “I felt that I would fit in here with their culture, and they feel that I am a guy that fits in, too, so I feel that it’s a perfect match.

“They need a slot and they feel that I can play in the slot, so I just feel that it’s been a perfect match.”