From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Iowa defensive lineman Yahya Black.
NO. 94 YAHYA BLACK, DL, IOWA (R-SENIOR) – 6056, 336 POUNDS
SENIOR BOWL PARTICIPANT
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Yahya Black | 6056/336 | 10 1/4 | 35 | 83 7/8 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 5.39 | 1.88 | 4.72 | 7.63 | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 8’5″ | 25.5 | N/A |
THE GOOD
— Has great size, height, and length for the position
— Possesses good play strength for the trenches
— Can long arm blockers back into the pocket
— Has the bull rush to collapse the pocket from the interior
— Shows some quickness off the snap with an arm over/swim move
— Can clog the middle and eat up double teams
— Will split double teams when he plays under control and with balance
— Works laterally to fight pressure as he flows to the football
— Size and long arms aid in deflecting passes/blocking kicks
THE BAD
— Lacks ideal speed, acceleration, and foot quickness when working laterally
— Ball carriers can outrun him to the edges
— Plays too high and upright
— Allows blockers into his pads far too often
— Can have balance issues due to playing with his pads too far over his toes
— Ends up on the ground far more than you’d like to see
— Easily knocked off his feet when blocked from the side
— Doesn’t have much outside of his bull rush as a pass rusher
— More of a space eater than a gap penetrator
BIO
— Redshirt senior prospect from Marshall, Minn.
— Born April 21, 2002
— Education studies and human relations major
— Lettered four years in track and three in basketball in high school
— Three-star recruit, according to Rivals
— Took part in Iowa’s Human & Health Services Program to promote vaccine education
—Played in four games as a reserve in 2020 before redshirting, making three tackles
— Played in all 14 games as a reserve in 2021 and made 18 tackles with a forced fumble and two pass deflections
— Played in nine games as a reserve in 2022 and made 11 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss with one sack and two pass deflections
— Started all 14 games in 2023 and made 51 tackles, five tackles for loss with 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and five pass deflections
— Started all 13 games in 2024 and made 34 tackles seven tackles for loss with one sack, one forced fumble, and two pass deflections
— Honorable mention All-Big Ten (2023-24)
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Yahya Black isn’t hard to miss coming off the bus. The 6056, 339-pound defensive lineman is a massive human being who anchored the Iowa Hawkeyes defensive line for the past several seasons. Even at the Senior Bowl, Black stood out with his size and length, presenting an imposing presence on the football field.
When you plug in the tape on Black, you see what you would expect to see from a man that size: a strong brute force in the middle of the defense who pushes the pocket and eats up blockers to clog interior running lanes. Black has 35-inch arms and knows how to use them, jarring back blockers. ln the clips below, you see him shed blocks and make plays on the ball carrier as he approaches the line of scrimmage.
Black does a good job taking on one-on-one blocks and being in position to fight off either side of the block while attempting to make the tackle in the gap. Watch the clip below of Black engaging Ohio State G Donovan Jackson after the snap. He rips off the block and get a hand on Will Howard on the QB keeper, slowing him down as LB Jay Higgins comes over to clean up the play for the fourth-down stop.
Black can fight pressure laterally to get in on tackle attempts, working against opposing blockers to get in front of the football. Watch the rep below where Black is working against Jackson, and the guard gets his hands latched onto Black’s frame. Black is able to work to his right and run right into the ball carrier, bringing him down for a short gain on the play.
Black isn’t the fleetest of foot, but he does occasionally showcase some quickness off the snap. He does need to watch his balance and not get too far over his toes. Watch both cases below where Black executes the arm-over technique on the snap. He successfully clears the block on the first play to get into the backfield but loses his balance in the second clip and ends up on the turf.
Black doesn’t have much in his tool kit as a pass rusher outside of his long arm/bull rush, but he can be a lot for opposing offensive linemen to handle one-on-one should he get the opportunity. Watch this sack Black picks up in the Big Ten Championship game a year ago against Michigan. Overwhelming the right guard, he rips his chest down to clear the block, getting to QB J.J. McCarthy in the pocket for the sack.
Black needs to play with better leverage as he is a taller defensive lineman who can get caught standing upright far too often, giving opposing blockers a big surface area to strike. He also ends up on the ground far too often on tape, losing balance when blocked from his side like you see in the clip below against Ohio State. Jackson plants him into the turf as Black tries to work toward the outside.
CONCLUSION
Yahya Black is the quintessential space eater teams look for on early downs who possesses the size and bulk to take on and occasionally split double teams as a two-down plugger. He doesn’t bring much pass-rush upside to the table and needs to work on his leverage to fully play to his strengths and warrant meaningful snaps on early downs. Still, his size and length are hard to come by, and further development on his technique could help him go from a raw prospect to a solid pro.
When coming up with a pro comp for Black, John Jenkins came to mind as another bulky run plugger with similar size who has made a 12-year career anchoring the middle for NFL defenses. The Steelers could use more reinforcements along their defensive line, and they hosted Black for a pre-draft visit already, showing that they may have interest in him later in the draft.
Projection: Late Day 3
Depot Draft Grade: 6.8 Backup/Special Teamer (5th Round)
Games Watched: at Ohio State (2024), at Maryland (2024), vs Michigan (2023), Senior Bowl
