PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It’s more than just a starting center, West Virginia head coach Neal Brown told the Fan Morning Show the Steelers drafted a guy Friday night who can change the attitude of a room.
It’s not surprising that a college coach would speak highly of his players. Jim Harbaugh’s constant praise may have gotten QB JJ McCarthy in the top 10. What you hear when Brown joined the Fan on Monday is a demeanor and intangibles that this team has missed the last few years.
“He changed our locker room,” Brown told Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson on 93.7 The Fan. “He came in as a freshman in our first true recruiting class and on both lines of scrimmage, we were below average. He came in with his work ethic and how he went about his business on a daily basis-in the weight room, nutrition, how he took care of his body. How he studied. How he went about his workouts.”
“We went from a struggling offensive line to Top 10 in rushing each of the last 2 years.”
One guy can’t do it on the field alone, but he thought Frazier brought such an infectious mindset that it not only improved the offensive line, but the defensive line. He said he comes in with great character, but it’s not in your face. It’s more of ‘follow what he does and see the results’.
“He absolutely loves football,” Brown told the Fan Morning Show Monday, adding he is as intelligent as any player he’s ever coached. “He doesn’t just love playing the game of football. He loves all of the work that goes into it-the weight lifting, the film study. He is a football guy.”
“Once he gets a feel for what the expectations are with the Steelers and what the scheme is. He will start early and for a long time.”
Free agent Mountaineer
Add a couple of inches to his frame and WVU corner Beanie Bishop is probably drafted. The transfer senior was a consensus All-American and semi-finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award to the best defensive player in FBS. He had 20 pass breakups, 54 solo tackles and four interceptions. He had seven tackles and a pick in the Backyard Brawl. He had eight tackles and returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown in the Mountaineers bowl game. He ran a 4.39, 40-yard dash.
But he’s 5’9”. After he went undrafted the Steelers quickly signed the Louisville native to an undrafted free agent contract.
“Extremely productive, only in the program for seven months,” Brown told The Fan Morning Show. “He worked hard. I’m indebted to him not only as a player, but he also made an impact on our young guys. We were really young in the secondary beside him and I thought he invested that time.”
Brown told Dorin and Adam, Bishop will be one of those guys who will come to the Steelers with a huge chip on his shoulder and be extremely hungry. He thinks, even as an undrafted player, he will have a great opportunity to make the team.
Steelers did draft a 6’3” corner in the sixth round. Let’s see which one wins a roster spot.
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