Beanie Bishop Eager to Prove Himself, Fill Need for Steelers

PITTSBURGH – The start of rookie minicamp marks the start of Beanie Bishop trying to earn his place on the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bishop displayed a sense of eagerness while talking with the media, including our partners at Steelers Now, on Friday. He discussed why he signed with Pittsburgh after failing to be drafted and what his goals are for minicamp.

“We talked pre-draft and all of those things and I knew there was a possibility of me coming here,”Bishop answered when asked if he knew the Steelers would look to sign him if he didn’t get drafted.

On if nickel is where he expects to fit in as far as his position on the defense, “I think that’s a spot I could play in and that’s a need for the team.”

To no surprise, Bishop took the opportunity to talk up his own game and let any of his new fans know what he plans to bring to the table.

”I love to tackle and I love to be a physical guy and I like to impose my will on guys, receivers, tight ends, running backs, quarterbacks, whatever it is. And that’s a strong suit of my game.”

And as he does in every interview, Bishop made sure to let Steelers fans know he’s ready to prove his doubters wrong.

“Yeah, it’s just a testament to all the work that I put in. Like I said, it’s just one of those things that fuel the fire,” Bishop said. “I always felt that I was overlooked and undervalued, so it just helps me whenever I get comfortable or anything. Remember guys didn’t think that you should be here.”

Despite not pulling the trigger on drafting him, it makes sense for the Steelers to take a shot on Bishop, a move that’s being labeled one of the best rookie free agent signings. He did impress at the Big 12 Pro Day event, running a 4.39 forty and a 4.15 20-yard shuttle, which would have been among the best times at the NFL Combine. Given his projection in the slot, the Steelers had to take note of Bishop’s level of testing.

“I wanted to show that I’m elite when the ball is in the air. Whenever the ball is in the air, it’s just as much mine as it is theirs (the receivers),” Bishop explained when asked during the draft process what he wanted to show in 2023. And to that regard, Bishop picked off four passes and wrecked games for opposing quarterbacks all throughout the year, most notably getting to Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec in WVU’s Backyard Brawl win and recording two interceptions on the road at UCF. He also helped keep the Mountaineers at the top of college football in ball-hawk rate with 20 pass deflections.

Time will tell if Bishop can have that kind of impact in the NFL.

The Steelers have noted multiple times how much they love these types of slot cornerbacks who can tackle, blitz, and stick their noses in the run game. Bishop prides himself on that.

“And that I can tackle well. I finished the season with 60 tackles (67). Not a lot of DBs like to tackle. And I love to tackle. I’m a physical DB, can play inside and outside,” Bishop said while exuding that confidence WVU fans grew to love so much.

For the Steelers, that could be the type of guy they want out of the slot that can give them versatility back at safety, too. So, Biship will have a chance to compete in Pittsburgh.

Our partners at Steelers Now helped with the reporting for this story.