Former Mountaineers Zach Frazier and Beanie Bishop Jr. are less than a month away from their Pittsburgh Steelers debut, when their names will be added to the list of WVU alumni to play in the NFL.
That list, even when limited to Frazier and Bishop Jr.’s positions in the offensive line and defensive secondary respectively, can lead to lofty comparisons for the reigning Duke’s Mayo Bowl champions. Once their rookie seasons actually begin, those comparisons will rain in even more.
As the Steelers rookies gear up for their first preseason matchup, which will be especially important for Bishop Jr. to earn a 53-man roster spot, take a look back at some of the former offensive linemen and cornerbacks that will warrant comparisons along with how they performed in their own rookie seasons.
Joe Stydahar, OL (1936)
While certainly the star of a completely different era of football, there is no better age-old comparison for WVU offensive linemen than Joe Stydahar, the three-time NFL Champion, five-time All-Pro selection, and Pro Football Hall of Fame selection from the Chicago Bears.
Selected sixth overall to become Chicago’s first ever draft pick, Stydahar played without a helmet and turned heads immediately. He started all 12 games at left tackle for the Bears and helped lead them to a 9-3 record.
Stydahar was quickly recognized as someone who would help lead a new era of success for the Bears, who were already three-time NFL Champions by 1936. He was selected to the All-Pro second team as a rookie, beginning the first of his four seasons in the 1930s, a decade in which he was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team.
Mike Compton, OL (1993)
For a more recent, and arguably more relevant comparison, Frazier will also be living up to the name of Mike Compton, the All-American WVU center that went on to win two Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots in 2001 and 2004.
Despite going on to play 12 seasons in the NFL with some of the league’s greatest teams and players ever, the Compton comparison is one Frazier may easily exceed as a freshman.
As a rookie with the Detroit Lions, the 68th overall pick played center in a reserve role. He saw the field in eight games but never started. He was moved to guard in his second season and stayed there before moving back to center in 1999 briefly, then eventually going back to left guard with the Patriots.
Adam Jones, CB (2005)
While hopefully not earning any comparisons to “Pacman” Jones off the field, Beanie Bishop Jr. may just want to emulate certain parts of the cornerback’s 13-season NFL career.
Jones struggled to find his footing early in his career, thanks in part to a year-long suspension in 2007 for the aforementioned off-the-field issues, but he found his stride later with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he made an All-Pro first team appearance in 2014 and a Pro Bowl appearance in 2015.
As a rookie, though, Jones earned opportunities that Bishop Jr. will be fighting for in Pittsburgh. The sixth overall pick played 15 games with the Titans and started in 13 in 2005. Jones played cornerback and was a punt returner for the Titans. He scored a touchdown and ran for 1,399 yards off punt returns and recorded 44 tackles and 10 pass deflections as a rookie.
Bishop Jr. and Frazier will kick off their NFL careers on August 9 at home against the Houston Texans. The game begins at 7 p.m.
Photo by Wesley Shoemaker, Blue Gold Sports
