Pittsburgh Steelers rookie DL Yahya Black is turning more heads than he is footballs at the line of scrimmage, which is a lot. Black appears to be quickly ascending the depth chart, and he has teammates and coaches alike enthusiastic. That especially applies to those who have to deal with him most, like OT Broderick Jones.
“He comes with a lot of grit. He comes with the fight, he comes with the nastiness”, Jones said of Black, via the Steelers’ website. “He’s a big, physical dude. It’s hard to move him. I feel like he’s gonna be a tough individual for us. For the rest of camp and for the season coming up. We’ve got a lot of depth, and it’s good to have depth at different positions”.
The Steelers selected Yahya Black in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, four rounds after selecting Derrick Harmon. Harmon is already in the starting lineup, and Black is on a path to seeing meaningful playing time himself.
So far during camp his specialty has been batting down balls. Although practice is more conducive to batted balls, it shows his awareness and instinctiveness. Black has also displayed a stoutness against the run, which may even feature in four-linemen fronts this season.
The Steelers have Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton starting along the defensive line in addition to Derrick Harmon. Other than Yahya Black, the reserves include Daniel Ekuale, Isaiahh Loudermilk, Logan Lee, Esezi Otomewo, and DeMarvin Leal.
At this rate, there hardly appears to be any question that Black will make the 53-man roster. For a mid-round rookie, that’s slightly bold before the preseason, but he is meriting that attention. Thus, the broader question becomes how much and in what contexts he plays.
By and large, the Steelers have been using Black more as an end than as a tackle. Although he is a large human being, he is not without mobility. A former multi-sport athlete, including basketball, he was once considerably more svelte than the belly protruding from his comically insufficient practice jersey might now indicate.
The Steelers drafted Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black in large part to address a shrinking presence of physicality on defense. Although they are obviously pieces for the future as Heyward drifts toward retirement, they also look like ready contributors.
Nobody knows that better than Jones and his fellow offensive linemen. They’re the ones who have to try to contend with them every practice. It even seems as though Black is garnering more attention externally than Harmon, though not internally.
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