Upon opting not to select a predicted slot/nickel cornerback with any of their seven draft selections, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed an undrafted free agent believed to be of interest.
Beanie Bishop of West Virginia was one among the five new players the Steelers unveiled in the early hours of Saturday night following the conclusion of the draft. The Steelers welcomed Bishop as an official guest earlier this month. Before being named an All-America player for WVU this past season, he played for Western Kentucky for the first four seasons of his college career, Minnesota in 2022, and Western Kentucky this past season.
The 5-foot-10, 184-pound Bishop had a team-most four interceptions and, according to WVU, led the nation in passes defended (24) and passes broken up (20). While the AP had Bishop as a second-team All-American, the Football Writers Association of America had Bishop on its first team.
The Steelers did not re-sign Chandon Sullivan and released Patrick Peterson, and they have no obvious slot/nickel on their roster.
Among the other undrafted players signed was John Rhys Plumlee, who played quarterback the past two years for Central Florida following a three-year stint at Ole Miss that included time at wide receiver.
Outside linebacker Julius Welschof of Charlotte, inside linebacker Jacoby Windmon of Michigan State and running back Daijun Edwards of Georgia also were announced as signings.
Welschof and Windmon are players who transferred late in their college careers but had 2023 seasons cut short by injury.
Welschof spent five seasons at Michigan before transferring in 2023; he suffered a shoulder injury after four games that ended his season. Born in Germany and standing 6-6, Welschof appeared in 34 games for Michigan.
Windmon (6-2, 250) only participated in three games of the previous season due to a chest injury. He spent three seasons at UNLV before transferring to Michigan State in 2022.
Though he played special teams and reserve, Edwards participated in all 15 games as Georgia won the College Football Playoff national championship in 2021 and 2022. Edwards (5-10, 207) led the Bulldogs in 2023 with 13 touchdowns with 880 running yards. During his time in college, he scored 24 touchdowns on the ground.
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