Tag: Beanie Bishop

Steelers could keep 3 UDFAs this season

The Steelers have some solid undrafted players who could make the final roster.

The level of detail the Pittsburgh Steelers put into the entire process from the 2024 NFL draft to the undrafted free-agency period has been a clinic in finding athletes to fill the team’s most significant needs.

Pittsburgh signed a particularly small group of UDFAs this year but it is all part of their plan. If the players signed, we like three of them to make the team either as part of the 53-man roster or on the practice squad.

First up we have cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. Physical, scrappy, quick and strong against the run sounds like a Steelers slot cornerback to me. The team is excited about what Bishop brings as a sort of hybrid cornerback/safety up and around the line of scrimmage and he has a real shot to make the final roster.

The Steelers went out and signed quarterback John Rhys Plumlee based on his remarkable athleticism and intangibles. All Plumlee needs to do in order to make the roster is beat out veteran Kyle Allen.

Finally, we have running back Daijun Edwards. More football player than athlete, Edwards was particularly productive at Georgia around the end zone and with the team in need of a No. 3 running back, he could slide right into that role without much competition.

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Steelers agree to terms with West Virginia UDFA CB Beanie Bishop

After taking Ryan Watts with their final pick in the draft, the Steelers turned around and added West Virginia UDFA corner Beanie Bishop. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers can never have enough cornerbacks. After selecting Ryan Watts with their final pick in the draft, Pittsburgh turned around and added West Virginia undrafted free agent corner Beanie Bishop.

Here’s what NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein had to say about Bishop:

After six years and three college stops, Bishop burst on the scene with major ball production in 2023. He was frequently targeted as an undersized outside corner at West Virginia and gave up his share of catch yardage. Bishop struggles with a lack of speed and length when beaten early in man coverage and allows easy catches in front of him from shuffle technique. When in phase, Bishop’s quick feet and burst to close allow him to attack passing lanes and disrupt the catch. He plays with adequate aggression against the run and is best suited playing from the slot with his eyes forward from short-zone and off-man coverages.

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West Virginia CB Beanie Bishop has top 30 visit with Commanders

Washington hosted another cornerback on a top 30 visit.

The Washington Commanders spent a considerable portion of the pre-draft process evaluating offensive tackles and cornerbacks. Washington used several of its top 30 visits on the two positions, often evaluating players who will be drafted after the first round.

We’ve learned of another cornerback Washington recently hosted on a top-30 visit. According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Commanders recently hosted West Virginia cornerback Beanie Bishop.

As noted with several of Washington’s other visitors, Bishop has high-level traits. The 5-foot-10, 184-pound Bishop has blazing speed, running a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the Big 12 pro day. The knock on Bishop is his size.

Bishop began his career at Western Kentucky, playing there for three seasons. In 2022, he transferred to Minnesota. He moved to West Virginia in 2023, looking for a more defined role. The move served Bishop well, as he led the nation in pass breakups, had four interceptions, and was named an All-American.

Bishop’s size would lead you to believe he’d play the slot in the NFL. However, he played outside at West Virginia, and that versatility will serve him well at the next level.

Bishop is viewed as a Day-3 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

All-American CB Beanie Bishop Jr. takes top-30 visit with Browns

The Browns could add even more talent at corner

So far, Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry has been successful in drafting corners. That could continue in the 2024 NFL draft as West Virginia cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. has visited Cleveland after a great final season in college.

Though it isn’t a major need for the team this year, you can never have enough good cornerbacks, especially in the AFC, where there is a lot of talent in quarterbacks.

Bishop had a great season with 20 passes defended and four interceptions with the Mountaineers this year. He is undersized, but he has excellent speed and isn’t afraid of contact.

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The bonus is that Bishop is an excellent special teams player, both a returner and a coverage guy on punts and kickoffs. Bishop has a high football IQ and a quick trigger to crash downhill against the run game. Likely, he will not be selected until day three of the draft, and the Browns could end up pulling the trigger.

Beanie Bishop speeds his way into the late-round draft conversation

West Virginia CB Beanie Bishop speeds his way into the late-round draft conversation with the fastest display at the Big 12 Pro Day

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.

 

Biggest snub from the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine at each position

Biggest snub from the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine at each position

Even though there are more prospects invited to the yearly scouting combine than there are draft slots, there are always players not invited who feel like they should be in Indianapolis. That’s true for the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, which begins the final week in February.

The league invited 321 prospects to the annual event, the biggest week on the NFL’s offseason calendar. The full list of 321 prospects who were invited to Indianapolis is available via NFL.com.

It’s tough to find some snubs at a few positions without bit nitpicky, but there are some worthy candidates to be drafted in April who won’t be at the combine in Indianapolis. Here’s the biggest snub at each position group.

 

2024 NFL draft: Updated Cleveland Browns 7-round mock draft

2024 NFL draft: Updated Cleveland Browns 7-round mock draft ahead of Senior Bowl week

The Cleveland Browns had a very interesting 2023 campaign. Despite rampant injuries across the offense, Kevin Stefanski’s team finished an impressive 11-6 and earned the top wild card berth in the AFC.

The playoff run ended quickly with a blowout loss in Houston, one that shone the spotlight on some of the Browns’ biggest offseason needs. GM Andrew Berry won’t get to address any of those needs until the second round of the 2024 NFL draft since the Browns already traded away their first-round pick to Houston as part of the Deshaun Watson deal. Cleveland has just two selections in the first four rounds.

Where might Berry and the Browns look in the draft? Here’s one early pathway they can explore.

Keys to the Game: What must the Sooners do vs. WVU to break two-game losing skid?

Oklahoma takes on West Virginia on Saturday. We’ve got you covered with our keys to the game.

Oklahoma takes the field Saturday with one thing on their mind: win. The Sooners are reeling right now after losing their back-to-back games. The most recent loss saw their in-state rivals get the last laugh in what will likely be the final Bedlam football matchup for years to come. Oklahoma played a sloppy game offensively, and ultimately, those mistakes doomed them.

They now turn their attention to West Virginia, a team playing some good football as of late. If Oklahoma is to have any small shot at fighting their way back to one final Big 12 title game, they must win out.

West Virginia is outside the Big 12 title picture but, like everyone, aims to end their Big 12 rivalry with Oklahoma with a win. The Mountaineers are averaging 37.8 points per game in their last four games. Their only loss? Oklahoma State.

What will it take for the Sooners to come out on top come Saturday? We highlighted it below in our keys to the game.

Know Your Foe: 5 Mountaineers to know for West Virginia at Oklahoma Sooners

Oklahoma will take on West Virginia Saturday. Here are five players you need to know.

Oklahoma is back home for the first time since their nailbiting win against UCF out of the bye week. The Sooners have yet to lose at home this season. So playing a game with the home crowd behind you could be just what the doctor ordered. Oklahoma is desperate for a win and still has a fighting spirit left to compete for the Big 12 Title. They’ll need some help, but if they don’t finish the regular season on a winning streak, it won’t matter.

Their opponent this week is Neal Brown’s [autotag]West Virginia Mountaineers[/autotag]. After being picked dead last in this year’s Big 12 preseason media poll, they are on a revenge tour. Neal Brown and his team took offense to that and are currently in pursuit of finishing the season in the top half of the Big 12. The Mountaineers are 6-3 (4-2 Big 12) and come in after beating Big 12 newcomers BYU by 30 last week.

West Virginia is a tough team that plays hard, and while they certainly aren’t among the league’s most talented teams, if Oklahoma doesn’t show up, they’ll be on upset alert.

As the Sooners prepare for their primetime contest, we’re highlighting five Mountaineers ahead of the matchup.