Disappointed not to be drafted out of college in the 2024 NFL Draft, West Virginia cornerback Beanie Bishop Jr. entered the NFL with a sizable chip on his shoulder with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That chip helped him scratch and claw his way into first-team reps at slot corner and ultimately helped him earn a roster spot on the initial 53-man roster for the Black and Gold, accomplishing a lifelong goal as an NFL player.
The work doesn’t stop now, though, for Bishop. Speaking to reporters Wednesday after making the 53-man roster, Bishop said his mindset won’t change despite having some sense of security on the roster. He knows he still has to battle every day with that underdog mindset he’s carried with him throughout college and into the NFL.
“It’s still like the same thing that I’ve been going through my whole life. Still have to battle every day to compete,” Bishop told reporters, according to video via YardBarker’s Aaron Becker on Twitter. “There’s guys on other rosters that the scouts watch and things like that. That they would possibly bring in if they get cut and things like that. So I know that the battle is…it is every day.”
It is every day moving forward for Bishop. That can be a tough road ahead, but it’s one he has to travel at this point in his NFL life.
He was overlooked coming out of college after stints at three separate schools in Western Kentucky, Minnesota and West Virginia. He was a bit undersized, too, and wasn’t the best athlete. That largely led to him going without hearing his name called on draft night, which upset him.
But that process gave him added motivation and a sizable chip, one that helped carry him throughout the offseason, through training camp and the preseason, to where he is today: a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He should take a second to stop and smell the roses and realize he achieved his goal of making the roster. But then that’s it. He has to recalibrate his goals and continue to fight every single day. Here today, gone tomorrow. NFL: Not For Long.
Bishop knows that and has the right mindset moving forward with the Steelers. He has a spot on the roster for now, but he needs to prove himself each and every day.
Based on what he did throughout his college career, that won’t be much of a problem for him.
