Steelers rookie cornerback Beanie Bishop may be one the NFL's best feel-good stories of 2024 thus far.
Despite having the odds stacked against him as an undrafted free agent, he put his head down and worked all offseason and it paid off on Tuesday when he was a part of Pittsburgh's initial 53-man roster.
The 24-year-old had to wait until when "everybody else got the news" but revealed there was no shortage of emotions when it finally broke.
"Obviously, I'm excited, got a lot of congratulations. Knowing that it's hard to do this as an undrafted free agent rookie, it was a lot of excitement and energy," Bishop said. "I might have cried. Growing up, you always want to hear your name called on draft day, but I knew that this was the best place for me to be able to get the opportunity to make a 53-man roster.”
Bishop is a bit undersized at 5-foot-10, 184 pounds and it's likely the reason why he went undrafted, but having to prove himself is nothing new and that's not about to change, either.
"It's still the same thing I've been going through my whole life, still have to battle every day to compete," Bishop added. "There's guys on other rosters that the scouts watch that they look to possibly bring in if they get cut. The battle is every day."
Another player who knows a little something about Bishop's situation is running back Jaylen Warren, who is entering his third season with the Steelers after going undrafted in 2022.
Warren has been watching Bishop all offseason and has been impressed just like everyone else.
“It made me happy because, you know, same position," Warren said. "He worked hard as we've all noticed in camp. I congratulated him. I respect because some guys aren't willing to go through that grind for what it takes. He made it and it was all worth it, I'm sure."
While Warren can offer Bishop plenty of advice, something he isn't giving up is the No. 30, which Bishop has also worn during the preseason.
Bishop has since switched to wearing No. 31, which seems fitting as it was once worn by former Steelers Hall of Fame safety Donnie Shell, arguably the best undrafted defensive back of all time.
It's safe to say Bishop has big shoes to fill, but proving himself is nothing he hasn't had to do before.
Bishop recorded a career-high 67 tackles, four interceptions and 20 passes defensed during his final season at West Virginia. He also returned a punt for a touchdown.
All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
