The Pittsburgh Steelers put a major emphasis on adding big men and physicality in the 2025 NFL Draft. No selection for the Steelers signifies that more than Iowa defensive lineman Yahya Black, who was the Steelers’ fifth-round pick at No. 164 overall following a trade down with the Kansas City Chiefs.
For Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin, he stated after the draft wrapped up in a session with the media that Black is a “big chassis” and reminds him of an F-350 as a run defender, which is something the Steelers emphasized and wanted this offseason.
“Like I’ve been saying throughout the process, he’s a big chassis, okay? There’s F-150s, he’s like an F-350,” Tomlin said of the selection of Black and what he brings to the table, according to video via the Steelers’ YouTube page. “He’s a big man and really stout against the run.
“And you can always use a skillset like that, certainly,” Tomlin added.
The Steelers, after allowing 299 rushing yards in the Wild Card round loss to the Baltimore Ravens, needed to address run defense in a major way. They drafted Oregon’s Derrick Harmon at No. 21 overall in the first round, then double-dipped at the defensive line position with the addition of Black.
At the NFL Combine, Black measured in at 6056, 336 pounds with long 35-inch arms. He ran a 5.38 40-yard dash with a 25.5-inch vertical and 7.63 three-cone. The size is rather remarkable and fits exactly what the Steelers want in the trenches as GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl continue to put their stamp on the franchise.
During his five-year career at Iowa, Black recorded 117 career tackles for the Hawkeyes. Last season, Black recorded 34 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and a sack. He had a career-best 3.5 sacks in 2023 for the Hawkeyes.
Black was praised by NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah as a space eater, and even Steelers Depot’s Jonathan Heitritter called Black a space-eater, praising him for his run defense.
Hopefully Black can step in and become that stout run defender the Steelers have been looking for.
