Shannon "Beanie" Bishop Jr. (born December 17, 1999) is an American professional football cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Kentucky, Minnesota and West Virginia.

Beanie Bishop
No. 31 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (1999-12-17) December 17, 1999 (age 24)
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Height:5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:182 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:Pleasure Ridge (KY)
College:Western Kentucky (2018–2021)
Minnesota (2022)
West Virginia (2023)
Undrafted:2024
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 12, 2024
Total tackles:34
Sacks:0.5
Pass deflections:6
Interceptions:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Bishop was born in Louisville, Kentucky.[1] At his birth, his godmother referred to him as "my beanie baby", and the nickname "Beanie" stuck.[2] He attended Pleasure Ridge Park High School in Louisville and was football team captain while playing wide receiver, defensive back and return specialist.[3] He was a Class 6A All-District player and played at the Best of the Bluegrass All-Star Game where he was the Greater Louisville Offensive Player of the Game.[3] Ranked a two-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, the only FBS team to give him an offer.[4]

College career

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As a true freshman at Western Kentucky in 2018, Bishop played four games and redshirted.[5] The following season, he played 13 games and totaled 17 tackles and a pass breakup.[6] In the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Bishop played six games, one as a starter, and tallied 15 tackles with four pass breakups.[7] He was named first-team All-Conference USA in 2021 at cornerback and honorable mention all-conference at kick returner, posting 40 tackles, three interceptions and two pass breakups in 11 games.[6][8] He entered the NCAA transfer portal after the year.[8]

Bishop ultimately transferred to the Minnesota Golden Gophers for the 2022 season.[6] He appeared in all 13 games for the Golden Gophers and posted 29 tackles, a pass breakup and one sack.[4] He entered the transfer portal in 2023.[9] He signed with the West Virginia Mountaineers for his final season of college football.[10] Bishop led the nation in both pass breakups and passes defended and was named an AP second-team All-American.[11][12]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump
5 ft 9 18 in
(1.76 m)
180 lb
(82 kg)
30 34 in
(0.78 m)
9 38 in
(0.24 m)
4.39 s 1.50 s 2.57 s 4.15 s 7.05 s 33.5 in
(0.85 m)
10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m)
All values from Pro Day[13]

2024 season

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Bishop signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent on April 27, 2024.[14] Bishop notably made the Steelers' 53 man roster out of training camp as a UDFA, even earning a starting job in the secondary after an impressive offseason. During a Week 7 game against the New York Jets on Sunday Night Football, Bishop intercepted two passes from Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, both of which would ultimately lead to touchdowns for Pittsburgh as they won 37-15. During a Week 8 game against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, Bishop secured a game ending interception against Daniel Jones, Pittsburgh won 26-18. [15] Bishop was named Defensive Rookie of the Month for October having: 16 tackles, 5 pass deflections, 3 interceptions, and 2 tackles for loss.

References

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  1. ^ "Beanie Bishop Jr". ESPN.
  2. ^ "Transfer DB "Beanie" Bishop Talent and a Memorable Nickname to West Virginia". WVNews.com. August 15, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Beanie Bishop". Minnesota Golden Gophers.
  4. ^ a b Decker, Ryan (August 15, 2023). "Beanie Bishop's rise from C-USA cornerback to versatile weapon at WVU". WBOY-TV.
  5. ^ Brocato, Joe (August 15, 2023). "Newcomer Beanie Bishop in the mix to start at multiple positions for the Mountaineers". West Virginia MetroNews.
  6. ^ a b c Greder, Andy (December 22, 2021). "Gophers add second transfer cornerback to the 2022 class". St. Paul Pioneer Press.
  7. ^ "Beanie Bishop". Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
  8. ^ a b MacDonald, Jared (December 15, 2021). "Tops' Bishop enters transfer portal". The Park City Daily News. p. B1, B4 – via Newspapers.com.  
  9. ^ Johnson, Randy (February 24, 2023). "Gophers defensive back Beanie Bishop enters transfer portal". Star Tribune.
  10. ^ Hall, Christopher (May 22, 2023). "Beanie Bishop Signs with West Virginia". Sports Illustrated.
  11. ^ "prospect?.Person?.DisplayName Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  12. ^ "player.DisplayName (player.Position): Bio, News, Stats & more". www.steelers.com. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  13. ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Beanie Bishop College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  14. ^ Varley, Teresa (April 28, 2024). "Steelers agree to terms with five undrafted free agents". Steelers.com. Retrieved October 7, 2024.
  15. ^ https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/player/beanie-bishop-jr.-31045/career-stats
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