The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed Iowa DL Yahya Black, their fifth-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, the team announced Friday. Black’s four-year contract should total out to around $4,579,836 with a signing bonus around $379,836. His 2025 cap charge should be around $934,959.
A multi-year starter at Iowa, Black registered 34 total tackles, seven tackles for a loss and a sack last season. He finished his collegiate career with 117 total tackles, 15 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks.
A big body, Black measured in at the 2025 NFL Combine at 6056 and 336 pounds with 35-inch arms. Head coach Mike Tomlin compared Black to a “F-350” truck due to his size.
A Minnesota native, Black was a four-star recruit in the class of 2020 who turned 23 years old on April 21. Our scouting report praised his measurables and ability to take on double teams, while pointing out that he’s still raw and has some room to grow to become a good pro.
“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.”
Black will compete for a roster spot on a crowded Steelers defensive line. While defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said that Black can play defensive end, the release of DT Montravius Adams could set him up to compete as a backup nose tackle behind Keeanu Benton. With the number of players competing for limited spots along Pittsburgh’s defensive line, the more versatility that Black can show, the better his chances will be of making the initial 53-man roster.
He was one of two Iowa prospects the Steelers selected in the draft, along with their third-round selection, RB Kaleb Johnson. The team also signed Iowa S Sebastian Castro as an undrafted free agent and drafted Iowa DL Logan Lee last season, so there will be plenty of familiar faces for Black in Pittsburgh.
So far, Pittsburgh has signed six of its seven draft picks. Only first-rounder Derrick Harmon remains unsigned.
