From now until the 2024 NFL Draft takes place, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on West Virginia CB Beanie Bishop.
#6 BEANIE BISHOP JR./CB WEST VIRGINIA – 5091, 180 POUNDS. (RS JUNIOR)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Beanie Bishop Jr. | 5091/180 | 9 3/8″ | 30 3/4″ | 72″ |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.39 | 1.50 | 4.15 | 7.05 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 10’0″ | 33.5″ | DNP |
*Pro Day Numbers
THE GOOD
– Extremely good ball production this past season (4 INTs, 20 PDs)
– Plays with Mighty Mouse attitude and won’t back down from anyone
– Instinctive in coverage situations to anticipate routes and break quickly
– Shows great awareness in the open field to make plays
– Works hard to jam receivers and get up between their hands to deflect or intercept balls
– Quick flipping his hips in transition
– Easily runs downfield with opponents
– Mixes it up throughout the route and isn’t afraid to be physical
– Stays low in his backpedal and explodes to the ball out of his plant
– Quickly closes to the action near the line of scrimmage
– Plays with a nasty attitude and works hard against the run
– Good kick and punt returner with experience on coverage teams as well
THE BAD
– Very small height and length for the cornerback position
– Arm length and wingspan limitations to disrupt taller receivers’ catch point
– Will struggle to battle with tight ends on routes and in run-blocking situations
– Handsy coverage down the field will result in flags
– Shows some panic when he fails to locate the deep ball
– Coverage tends to be reactive rather than anticipatory
– Can get caught gazing at quarterbacks too long
– Tends to round breaks at the top of routes when in off coverage, giving a step or two to the receiver
– Beaten downfield too often for big plays (gave up 5 TDs and 646 yds. in coverage)
– Ball production was not substantial prior to 2023 season
– Will struggle to get off blocks in the run game due to size
– Can be overaggressive and overshoot angles to runners
– Limited slot cornerback snaps to transition to the NFL
– Only 24 starts in six years could concern teams that he’s a one-year wonder
– Will be 24 years old at the start of the NFL season
BIO
– Born 12/17/1999 (24 years old)
– 2,081 total snaps (1,492 outside CB, 326 slot CB, 204 SS, 38 slot blitzer, 17 FS)
– 704 special teams snaps (131 FG block, 47 punt coverage, 240 kick coverage, 175 punt returner, 111 kick returner)
– 24 starts and played in 62 games over 6 year career
– Career: 172 total tackles, 10 TFLs, 1 sack, 7 INTs, 30 PDs, 1 forced fumble, 0 fumble recoveries, 61.5% completion percentage, 91.3 passer rating allowed
– 2023 season: 67 total tackles, 0.5 TFLs, 4 INTs, 20 PDs, 54.5% completion percentage, 78.1 passer rating allowed
– 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl participant
– 2023 first-team All-Big 12 Conference Team
– 2023 Chuck Bednarik Award semifinalist
– 2021 first-team All-Conference USA (defensive back) and Conference USA Honorable Mention (kickoff returner)
– 2-Star HS prospect according to 247Sports.com, out of Pleasure Ridge Park High in Louisville, KY
– Played wide receiver and defensive back, and was a special teams returner in HS
– Had 24 catches for 697 yards and 7 TDs his senior season as a receiver
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Beanie Bishop Jr. had great ball production this past season at West Virginia University as a boundary cornerback. He played at West Virginia in 2023, Minnesota in 2022, and Western Kentucky from 2018-21. He’s an undersized player who has shown the ability to play in both the slot (in the previous two years, he had 322 slot snaps) and outside cornerback position. Bishop has also shown special team value as a kick and punt returner, racking up both yards and touchdowns and playing on both coverage teams.
He is No. 11 in the following clips of him playing at West Virginia:
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 15, 2024
In run support, Bishop is a scrappy player who shows good physicality when taking on blocks. He is also aware and shows the ability to quickly read and react to what is in front of him. When playing the run, he reacts like his hair is on fire, playing to the proper leverage. He is a secure tackler who rarely misses and aims to cut down the ball carriers at the legs.
The counterpoint is that he’s too small to take on blocks and gets stuck on tight ends and bigger receivers for too long at times. He fights hard to get around them but can’t really go through guys. His pursuit and fills are good, but he can sometimes be impatient to make tackles and will get caught out of position, but this doesn’t happen often. He’s a sure-fire tackler and a guy you can depend on to go in for tackles, no matter the size of the runner.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 15, 2024
When in coverage, he performs best when playing from the slot or in off-man coverage. Bishop is very instinctual and knows how to be around the ball. He stays in phase and on the receiver’s hip pocket for crossers and slants. He also knows how to stay sticky on intermediate routes. His field awareness in red zone situations is impressive, and he can close on receivers quickly as long as he’s not trying to overly read the quarterback.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 15, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 15, 2024
He shows comfort in space with patience and good lateral movement to play the two-way go. When playing on the outside, he shows he is hesitant at times, not trusting his eyes and giving up underneath completions. He does a good job playing through the reception point for short and medium routes but struggles to play deeper, developing routes. He’s very much a feast-or-famine cornerback because he will gamble on trying to break up underneath routes and relies on his speed to carry receivers downfield.
He gets caught trying to read the quarterback’s eyes too often and can lose awareness of the receiver vertically. What can be frustrating is that he’s not beaten with stutters or play action but just linear vertical routes, which again emphasizes that his attention and awareness may waiver in coverage to anticipate routes correctly.
He is No. 7 in coverage for Minnesota.
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 15, 2024
— Jim Hester (@Jh86Guy) April 15, 2024
When playing deep routes, he lacks the strength and size to battle bigger receivers; often getting bumped off the routes or being overly aggressive, leading to penalties. Bishop looks to be a better slot defender at the next level, primarily because of his size and movement skills.
CONCLUSION
Beanie Bishop Jr. was a very fun but frustrating player to watch on film. He has so many flashes of incredible awareness, competitiveness, and playmaking ability. Equally, though, he’ll have the head-scratching coverage situations where he gets beat deep and gives up big plays more than you’d think for a guy with his instincts.
He’ll need to harness those athletic traits and skills to be more patient in coverage and pick his spots to invoke his disruptiveness. He has enough captivating ball production and feistiness for someone to give him a chance at playing the nickel position in the NFL, but could also provide some boundary reps in quarters coverage. The special team’s experience and production can also give him a pathway to playing within his first few years.
His makeup and style remind me of Kei’Trel Clark coming out of Louisville University last year. If his athleticism, competitiveness, and ball-hawking skills can be coached correctly, he could provide a nice depth cornerback in the later rounds of the draft to take a chance on despite his size limitations.
Projection: Late Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.5 – Backup/Special Teamer (Sixth/Seventh Round)
Games Watched: at Oklahoma (2023), vs North Carolina (2023), at Michigan State (2022), at Penn State (2022)
