Steelers Have Rookie Sleeper on Defense

The Pittsburgh Steelers added plenty of new faces along the defensive line this offseason, including fifth-round pick Yahya Black.

The Iowa product played parts of five seasons for the program. He logged a combined 85 tackles, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles between the 2023 and 2024 campaigns, receiving Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors in both years, before declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.

Black participated at the Reese's Senior Bowl before heading to the NFL Combine in late February. There, he ran a 5.39-second 40-yard dash with a 1.88-second 10-yard split and 25.5-inch vertical jump.

After selecting Derrick Harmon in the first round, the Steelers doubled up on defensive linemen by taking Black with the No. 164 overall pick on Day 3.

Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton will continue to log a majority of the snaps for Pittsburgh, with Harmon trailing right behind as a rookie. Black's ability to stop the run in the middle of the line, however, should earn him some playing time right off the bat on early downs.

"I've always been a run through your face type of person," Black said, per Steelers.com's Teresa Varley. "I'm glad other people notice it too. I'm a run stopper guy, so I'm going to do everything in my power to stop the run and then develop in any other place that I need to."

Steelers defensive line coach Karl Dunbar was complementary of Black's versatility during mandatory minicamp, stating that he's capable of filling multiple roles up front despite starting off as a 4-technique (4i).

“He can play all over the defensive line,” he said, per Steelers Depot's Josh Carney. “You know, he’ll play over the center, he’ll play at 4i. Right now, he is working at 4i, but we think he can play all over the place.”

Pittsburgh seems content sticking with Benton as its primary nose tackle, though the team uses sub packages on a regular basis and thus could get creative in how it deploys Black.

Measuring in at 6-foot-5 and 336 pounds, Black's self-admitted defining characteristic is his ability to stop the run. He's a space-eater with an innate ability to eat up blocks, which is incredibly valuable for a Steelers team that prioritizes holding an advantage in the trenches.

"I think right now, his strength is the run game," Dunbar said. "He's a big, strong physical kid and we are working on his pass skills, and I think that's the thing we really can work on with no pads on. And we're gonna see what kind of physical guy he is when we put the pads on them."

If Black were to consistently line up on the inside shoulder of an offensive tackle, as he would while playing 4i, he'd find himself with more favorable opportunities to get after the quarterback than he would while lining up over a guard or the center in the middle of the line.

His game isn't yet refined in that area, but he has the tools to eventually develop into a capable pass rusher at the NFL level. For now, though, he'll likely settle in as a rotational piece who specializes in clogging run lanes while deepening Pittsburgh's defensive line rotation.