The Pittsburgh Steelers did not select a cornerback before Day 3 of the 2024 NFL Draft. However, they selected one in the sixth round, and according to NFL.com’s Chad Reuter, the Steelers landed the best cornerback still available after the draft ended: West Virginia’s Beanie Bishop Jr.
Reuter ranked the top 27 undrafted cornerbacks from the 2024 class. He ranked Bishop as number one.
Teresa Varley of Steelers.com reported on April 27, about an hour after the Steelers made their final selection in the 2024 draft, that Bishop had been signed.
“Bishop played one season for the Mountaineers, recording 67 tackles, 54 of them solo stops, and four interceptions while starting 13 games,” he wrote. “He was named first team All-American by Walter Camp and the FWAA, as well as second team All-American by the Associated Press, Sporting News, and AFCA. He was also named to the All-Big 12 Conference First Team.
Prior to West Virginia, Bishop played four seasons at Western Kentucky and one year at Minnesota. Bishop played in 57 games over six college seasons, totaling 170 tackles, 7 interceptions, and 29 pass defenses.
Steelers Depot’s Matthew Marczi and Steelers Now’s Nick Farabaugh praised Pittsburgh for adding what Reueter called the best undrafted cornerback in the 2024 draft class.
“Bishop lacks size at 5-9, 180 pounds, but he pops off the table,” Marczi wrote in an email. “He certainly did last season, recording four interceptions and a national-leading 24 pass defenses.
“The Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin always covet such players with ball skills.”
Marczi added that Bishop has limitations as a tackler and in coverage, but that he’s “a player to watch this offseason.”
Steelers Add Top-Rated Undrafted CB Beanie Bishop Jr.
Undrafted free agents are clearly not going to be ideal prospects. There must be a reason they went undrafted.
However, as far as finding value for the position at the end of the draft, the Steelers appear to have done so with the Bishop signing.
“Upon his arrival in Morgantown, Beanie Bishop instantly displayed a high level of confidence, but his spirit only increased after proving his true potential as a Mountaineer,” he wrote. “He then put it on display at the East-West Shrine Bowl, where his goal is to impress NFL scouts enough to be drafted. Bishop was one of the top performers at the Big 12 Pro Day.
“He ran a 4.39 forty and a 4.15 20-yard shuttle, which would have been among the fastest times at the NFL Combine. Given his projected slot position, the Steelers had to consider Bishop’s level of testing.
