The Pittsburgh Steelers added 649 pounds to their defensive front in the 2025 NFL Draft. Derrick Harmon is naturally talked about more as the team’s first-round pick, but fifth-round DE Yahya Black has a chance to carve out a role for himself in his rookie season.
Just one glance at his 6056, 336-pound frame, and it’s easy to assume that he will be strictly a run stuffer with limited athleticism to develop into a bigger role. But according to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko, he was moving better than expected during spring practices.
“He looked more nimble than I expected from a 6-6, 340-pound [player],” Batko said of Black via The North Shore Drive on Post-Gazette Sports’ YouTube. “There’s even times where I feel like I’m watching him—I don’t wanna say he gets skinny because you can’t really do that at his size—but he’s a little more deft trying to work his way through a gap or wiggle past an offensive lineman than I might’ve expected.”
With 35-inch arms, Black has the length and size to play just about any alignment in the Steelers’ defensive front. Interestingly enough, the Steelers listed him as a defensive end and not a defensive tackle or nose guard on their official roster. DL coach Karl Dunbar was also quick to say they view him as a 4i player aligned over tackle more than they do a nose aligned in the middle. At minicamp, he did say Black will play “everywhere”.
With Montravius Adams off the roster, it’s unclear who will back up Keeanu Benton in the middle of the defensive line. Black would seem to make the most sense as the most massive individual on the team, but that will work itself out in training camp. It’s possible Black will play more of an interior rotational role this year, but he could end up outside in the long run especially if he sheds a few pounds in the NFL weight room.
Observing Black at the Senior Bowl in the pre-draft process, he showed off some of the same nimble footwork that Batko described. There were inconsistencies to his play, but he seemed to always be around the ball and in position to make tackles during practices in Mobile.
He will be competing against Logan Lee, DeMarvin Leal, Dean Lowry, Daniel Ekuale, Esezi Otomewo, Isaiahh Loudermilk and others for a rotational role and a spot on the 53-man roster. Given how crowded the DL room is at the moment, his roster spot isn’t a lock. But they should give him every opportunity to state his case.
