Undrafted free agent Beanie Bishop Jr. had the best game of his NFL career with two interceptions in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 37-15 win over the New York Jets in Week 7. It’s a long way from where Bishop was post-draft in April. Bishop had a pre-draft visit with Pittsburgh as a local player from West Virginia, and after the team’s last selection of the draft, where they took S Ryan Watts, Bishop left his house without his phone for the remainder of the draft. He said on The Insiders it wasn’t until he got back and saw a missed call from his agent and Mike Tomlin that he knew he would be going to the Steelers.
“After the Steelers’ last pick was up, I cut [the draft] off, phone was going dead, just left my phone in the house. Went back into the house after it was over, had a whole bunch of missed calls from my agents, texts, missed call from Mike Tomlin. So that’s how I knew.”
It can be frustrating for players to realize they’re going undrafted, and while the undrafted free agent frenzy can sometimes still kick off during the draft, with teams informing players that they may be interested after the draft, Bishop seemed content to leave his phone and escape the stress from the draft. Given Pittsburgh’s clear need at slot cornerback, it would make sense that they’d have interest in Bishop, who was an All-American and led the nation in pass deflections, especially after his pre-draft visit.
Bishop was obviously aware of Pittsburgh’s interest given he had the visit and said it was after Pittsburgh’s last pick that he left the house, and the call from Tomlin made it clear that Pittsburgh wanted him. Bishop said earlier this offseason that the Steelers gave him the best chance to make the 53-man roster, and so it likely became an easy decision for him to sign with Pittsburgh.
It’s a funny story, but signing Bishop became more than just a footnote after he made the 53-man roster, especially after his performance on Sunday Night Football. It’s a performance than give him and the team confidence in what he can do going forward, and now Bishop will look to transition into a key piece of Pittsburgh’s secondary for now and years to come.
