The Pittsburgh Steelers are known for their defense, and there are always new pieces that are brought in each season to improve the defensive unit. One question mark on the defense going into the 2024 season was slot cornerback. The Steelers had signed Cam Sutton during the 2024 offseason, but it was known that he was going to be suspended by the league due to an off the field issue. He wound up being suspended for the first eight games of the year, and Pittsburgh suddenly found itself looking for someone to step up as their top slot cornerback during training camp.
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Steelers' Beanie Bishop Jr. runs with the football after intercepting Jets' Aaron Rodgers in 2024.
Pittsburgh found their starting slot cornerback to begin the year in Beanie Bishop Jr. Bishop was an undrafted player out of West Virginia, but it is a bit odd he went undrafted considering he was named an All-American during his final collegiate season in 2023. The Steelers got lucky and landed the local product as an undrafted free agent. He has been an important member of the defense during the 2024 season, and he recently joined Christian Kuntz on The Christian Kuntz Podcast and shared that he actually lied to the Steelers ahead of the draft.
"I had a top 30 visit with Pittsburgh." Bishop said. "I'm like, oh sh*t, this is my only top 30. But I told them, l'm like, 'Yo, I got the Ravens lined up, I got the Browns lined up.' But I didn't have nothing lined up. I was lying, bro. Because at the end of the day, you've got to sell yourself."
Each NFL team can bring in 30 local prospects for visits during the pre-draft process. This is pretty beneficial for the Steelers considering they work in the same building as the Pitt Panthers and are just an hour down the road from West Virginia. Another local product who was on a pre-draft visit in Pittsburgh was Zach Frazier, who has been one of the best centers in the league during his rookie season. The two were teammates during their final year in college, and now they are teammates in the league as well.
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Steelers' Beanie Bishop Jr. looks on during a game against the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football.
What Bishop did was a pretty good tactic. He was going to be a late-round pick or go undrafted, so he was pulling out all the stops to ensure he had a future in the NFL. The AFC North is a tight-knit division, so him telling the Steelers he was talking with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns could have very easily made the organization pay closer attention to him.
The Steelers managed to beat out the competition and land Bishop during the free agency process after the draft, which is often seen as better for the player than being drafted in the seventh round. This way the player has a say in where they go and what kind of situation they end up in.
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Steelers' defense celebrates Beanie Bishop Jr's interception against the New York Jets in 2024.
Steelers' Beanie Bishop Jr. Landed In The Perfect Situation
It is hard to carve out a life for yourself in the NFL, especially as an undrafted free agent. Very rarely do these players make a 53-man roster on their first attempt, and an undrafted free agent is almost never handed a starting job going into their rookie season. Pittsburgh was thin at slot corner, and the suspension for Sutton really worked in Bishop's favor. He struggled some early in the season and he has certainly had some growing pains, but the rookie has made splash plays when needed.
Bishop recorded three interceptions during a two-week span earlier in the year, and he has become more consistent in coverage and as a tackler. The rookie has been splitting snaps with Sutton, but if he continues to show improvement he could be a fixture of the Pittsburgh defense for years to come.
What do you think about Bishop lying to the Steelers about meeting with other teams? Let us know in the comments below!
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