The Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2024 rookie class is shaping up to be an impressive one, and three players were honored in some form or fashion on Dane Brugler’s midseason All-Rookie team for The Athletic. C Zach Frazier was named to the team as the lone interior offensive lineman with OG Mason McCormick earning honorable mention honors. Additionally, CB Beanie Bishop Jr. was the runner-up to Quinyon Mitchell for the cornerback job.
Frazier has missed Pittsburgh’s last two games with an ankle injury, but he could return this week against Washington, and he’s been playing like one of the best centers in the league when healthy. Brugler believes that Frazier could potentially be a Pro Bowl alternate this season, behind Creed Humphrey of the Kansas City Chiefs and Tyler Linderbaum of the Baltimore Ravens.
McCormick was one of seven honorable mentions for the category, all who came in behind Frazier and runner-up Dominick Puni of the San Francisco 49ers.
Quinyon Mitchell, the Philadelphia Eagles’ first-round pick, was the lone cornerback selected to the team, but Bishop, who had three interceptions and won AFC Defensive Rookie of the Month honors for October, was the runner-up. An undrafted free agent, Bishop edged out first-round pick Terrion Arnold, among others, to be a runner-up.
“The nickel corners from this rookie class have been outstanding. DeJean is playing out of his mind but has half the sample size of the other cornerbacks; Phillips and Smith will be playing making plays for the next decade. Bishop, however, leads all rookie corners with three interceptions and has been terrific in run support. His impact pops on film,” Brugler wrote.
Bishop has been the biggest surprise of Pittsburgh’s rookie class, as it’s rare for an undrafted free agent to make such a big impact this early in the season. Bishop was thrust into a starting role with Cameron Sutton suspended, and even now with Sutton coming back, Bishop could stick at nickel while Sutton plays a variety of roles for Pittsburgh’s defense. His performance thus far has given the Steelers a lot of flexibility with what they can do with Sutton and their secondary as a whole, and Pittsburgh has to be thrilled with how Bishop has played.
While first-round pick Troy Fautanu’s season has been lost to injury, the contributions from this rookie class so far have been impressive. Even outside of Frazier, Bishop and McCormick, Payton Wilson has been steady at inside linebacker, and the Steelers should be very excited about their future.
