Speed is always in demand in the NFL. It’s a trait that cannot be overlooked, especially at cornerback. Impressive speed can bump a draft prospect’s value up a round or two.
In the case of Beanie Bishop, an outstanding display of speed could very well be his ticket to getting drafted.
The West Virginia cornerback ran the fastest 40-yard dash time at the recent Big 12 Pro Day, an event where all schools pooled together for one combine-like event. Bishop ran the 40 in 4.39 seconds, the fastest laser-recorded time of any prospect in the conference. Bishop also had the highest max sustained speed recorded by Zebra Technologies, hitting 23.49 MPH in the testing. He was one of just two players to top 23 MPH at the event.
Speed like that opens NFL eyes. Draft doors, too. Now a player who was on the fringes of being drafted at all has another calling card, another reason for NFL teams to look at his uneven college tape and pound a table for Bishop in the late rounds.
Bishop already had one impressive card to play with his draft stock. He led the nation in passes defended with 24 in 2023, and Bishop caught four of those, too. That’s impressive ball production for a 5-foot-9 cornerback who played almost exclusively on the outside.
Why, you might ask, does a cornerback with legit ball production and amazing speed fall into the deep realms of the draft, if he’s even projected to be drafted at all? Sure, he’s short and a little light at 180 pounds, but corners his size can be found on almost every NFL roster. The problem for Bishop was his college career prior to transferring to West Virginia last season.
Bishop began his college career at Western Kentucky and played three years for the Hilltoppers. He bounced between outside and the slot, finding a home at neither despite some promising play–particularly in run defense. For 2022, he transferred to Minnesota, where he just didn’t fit well in playing limited reps, about 25 a game, off the bench.
The move to Morgantown and playing outside in a heavy zone scheme proved brilliant for Beanie (real name: Shannon). That’s where he belongs in the NFL, in a zone scheme that allows him to use his outstanding speed and quick reflexes to attack the ball in the air and also highlight his disciplined run defense. Bishop’s also got some decent kick and punt return experience at both West Virginia and Western Kentucky.
His game and advanced age (high school class of 2018) won’t fit every team, but his speed should ensure Bishop hears his name called sometime late on Day 3 of the 2024 NFL draft.