Steelers GM says undrafted rookie has 'great opportunity' to make team

The Steelers came away with what many view as one of the best rookie classes of the 2024 NFL Draft, and it seems Pittsburgh's good fortunes don't stop there.

General manager Omar Khan believes the team may have landed yet another impactful player as an undrafted free agent following the draft.

"I can't tell you how excited we were to have an opportunity to sign Beanie Bishop after the draft," Khan told Randy Baumann on the DVE Morning Show. "I think he's going to have a great opportunity at nickel to help us this year. He has great special teams value."

Bishop is undersized, standing at 5-foot-10, 184 pounds, but he could be the slot corner the Steelers have been searching for since letting Mike Hilton (Bengals) walk in free agency three years ago.

The West Virginia product was all over the field in 2023, registering a career-high 67 tackles, four interceptions and 20 passes defensed. He also returned a punt for a touchdown.

Khan knew Bishop could be a perfect fit when Pittsburgh met with him during the pre-draft process.

"We had him here for a visit. When he was here, we talked about our defense and how he would fit in," Khan added. "We really felt like he was a guy that could come in here and compete."

Luckily for the Steelers, they were able to land him without using a draft pick on him. It's a risk that could pay massive dividends in the long run, just like it did with Hilton in 2016.

Like Bishop, Hilton went undrafted, and Pittsburgh took a chance on him. He developed into one of the league's best slot cornerbacks and was paid accordingly (four-year, $24M contract).

That isn't to say history will repeat itself with Bishop, but if he turns out to be even half the player Hilton is, the Steelers' 2024 rookie class could be one of the best in recent memory.