When the Pittsburgh Steelers traded down in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, they did so not thinking that DL Yahya Black would make it to them eight picks later. In a behind-the-scenes look at the Steelers’ draft haul via The Standard series on their YouTube channel, GM Omar Khan revealed they were pleasantly surprised that Black was still available at pick No. 164.
“Like the other guys, the spring told us that this guy was a Steeler, and he was sitting there,” Khan said. “I can’t tell you we thought he’d still be sitting there in the fifth round and he was sitting there and the pick was easy.”
This suggests they may have had a high fifth-round grade, if not a fourth-round grade on Black.
The Steelers had already drafted one big addition to their defensive line with first-round DT Derrick Harmon, but it seemed likely they would double dip the position at some point in the draft. In all, the Steelers added 649 pounds to their defensive front and Black’s 6056, 336-pound frame is a large part of that.
After the run defense was embarrassed multiple times at the end of last season, it became clear they needed to upgrade and stopping the run needed to be at the forefront of that conversation.
“Really heavy handed, really good against the run. Stout, hard to move,” DC Teryl Austin said of Black. “We play our okie defense, that guy in there’s gotta be a bear for us, and we think he can be that type of guy.”
DL coach Karl Dunbar was quick to say they view Black as a 4i defender aligned over tackles towards the exterior of the D-line. He has since backtracked on that and said he can play anywhere. And it seems Austin has revealed more about their plans for the rookie. The Steelers’ okie front is their base 3-4 package. Black is likely to start his career in a rotational role within the Steelers’ base defense as a run stuffer. By the sound of it, that may even come at nose tackle in the center of the defensive front.
“If you want to play great defense, it starts up front,” Mike Tomlin said. “…The interior, particularly the defensive line, generally needs to occupy four hands if you’re gonna be an elite unit that allows linebackers and others to run free for us.”
Harmon and Black both have the size and length to be a handful for just about any single offensive lineman in the league. If all goes well, they will be commanding double teams and freeing up guys like Payton Wilson, T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Patrick Queen to make more plays.
Yahya Black looked “more nimble” than expected at spring practices according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko. That’s a good sign for him to push for a rotational role as a rookie. At 336 pounds, he would instantly become the biggest body on the Steelers’ defense and help correct their run-game woes from last season.
