Approaching the 2025 NFL Draft, we’ll be scouting as many of the top prospects that the Pittsburgh Steelers could have their eye on anywhere from Rounds 1 through 7. We’ll break down the prospects themselves, strengths and weaknesses, projected draft capital and their fit with the Steelers.
If the Steelers decide to draft a defensive lineman on Day 3, Iowa’s Yahya Black is a sleeper worth keeping an eye on.
Position: Defensive line
Class: Fifth-year senior
Size: 6’6, 336 pounds
Age: 22
Projected draft round: 6
Stats via Sports Reference
It’s a very deep draft class at defensive line this year, and understandably, the headline-grabbers are going to be the many athletic freaks and do-it-all talents expected to go in the early rounds. However, don’t lose sight of the more limited but effective role players slipping under the radar.
One of those names is Iowa’s Yahya Black.
Black won’t wow with his athleticism. His RAS score is just 3.57, and he noticeably lacks burst on tape. But he has size — and more importantly, length — that you simply can’t teach. Black stands at 6’6, 336 pounds, with 35-inch arms. In the words of SB Nation’s own JP Acosta, “Dude could probably scratch his knee standing straight up.”
Black’s wingspan is one of the biggest strengths of his game. It gives him a wide radius to shut down running plays. There are plenty of reps where Black doesn’t necessarily get the solo tackle, but he has an arm somewhere in the scrum disrupting the running back’s progress (No. 94 in all clips).
He also shows promise when it comes to making plays on the ball, with 11 career passes defensed and a blocked field goal in 2024:
Black will be exclusively a running-down defender in the NFL, but he’s elite in that role when going up against one-on-ones. He has excellent size and length, as well as the power to quickly disengage blocks. He’s a prototypical two-gapper.
His effort is another standout trait. Black has athletic limitations, lacking ideal explosiveness and agility, but his motor always runs hot.
His football IQ also stands out. Black consistently had strong gap discipline, and I also clipped a couple of examples of his strong situational awareness below:
Disciplined defender with some nice awareness highlights I found: preventing the cutback in clip 1 and forcing the high throw on the screen in clip 2 pic.twitter.com/VpZHx6Mi3E
— Ryland Bickley (@_Ryland_B) March 26, 2025
At 6’6, Black doesn’t always have the greatest leverage and could still improve his anchor heading into the NFL. He ended up on the ground a bit more than you’d like in 2024.
As a pass-rusher, he doesn't push the pocket much despite his size, and there’s a lack of urgency in his footwork and hand usage. He was largely used as a gap-stuffer at Iowa so you can’t hold his usage against him, but Black’s lack of a pass-rush skill set and low athletic ceiling is why his draft projection is in the low Day 3 range.
However, I think with stronger leg drive and some good coaching, Black could possibly unlock a useful bull rush at the next level. He had a good pass-rushing rep once or twice a game, hinting at a bit of upside:
For now, Black projects as a late-round run-stuffer who should be able to provide an immediate impact as a role player in the NFL. Yes, he’s very one-dimensional, but he offers a polished game with elite size against the run that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Black might never be a star at the NFL level, but I think he’ll offer good value to the team that drafts him.
Strengths
Ideal build, length for an A-gap defender
Dominant run defender in one-on-ones; power and wingspan to effectively two-gap
High effort defender
Weaknesses
Needs to work on anchor against double teams and improve leg drive
Currently offers little as a pass-rusher
Limited athlete
Matt Wilson of Dawgs by Nature
Iowa’s Yahya Black is such an underrated player in this year’s defensive tackle class. He’s obviously not the best athlete but at 6’6”, 336 Lbs. with 35” arms and a 7-foot wingspan, nobody should expect him to be. Black’s powerful punch/extension made it almost impossible for teams to block him 1-on-1 at the collegiate level. Somebody’s going to find a solid, rotational 1-tech in the 6th round.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com
A massive nose tackle with high-end traits, Black’s run plugging can run hot and cold as he fails to anchor with flat feet sunk deep into the ground when attacked on an angle. He can separate and neutralize the block to messy the gap when his pad level is right and he’s one-on-one. Black lacks snap quickness and range, so he’s much more space-eater than playmaker. The size and traits will be coveted, but Black lacks rush and is a little inconsistent at controlling the point. He might have a ceiling as a rotational big man.
Nick Falato of New York Giants SI
Yahya Black is an excellent – fundamentally sound – run defender who executed his assignments well within Iowa’s defensive structure. His good physicality and length allowed him to lock blockers out and anchor well at the point of attack; he possesses crafty hands to quickly separate while doing an adequate job locating the ball carrier near his gap responsibility. His size and run-defending prowess allow him to operate as a 1T in an EVEN front or an ODD front 4i-T. Overall, Black will quickly earn snaps on early downs and make impact plays as a smart run defender who eats space and dictates at the line of scrimmage.
The Steelers look to be gunning for a defensive lineman early in the draft, and Black doesn’t fit that description. However, the Pittsburgh front office and ownership didn’t seem all too pleased with how the team’s expensive defense was slashed by the Ravens’ running game in the playoffs, and adding some gap-stuffing talent to the interior this offseason is likely a priority. If the Steelers double up on the D-line in the draft, Black could be a great late-round swing who could see limited playing time early on.
Of course, the Steelers have already signed bottom-of-the-depth-chart defensive linemen Isaiahh Loudermilk, Daniel Ekuale, and Esezi Otomewo in free agency, but I think a run-down specialist like Black would still be a good addition to the training camp competition. The Steelers brought Black in for a top-30 visit, so they seem intrigued by the fit as well.
TL;DR: Black is a technically sound, mountainous run-stuffing defensive lineman. His limitations as an athlete and pass-rusher mean he won’t be an every-down contributor, but Black should be able to play early on as a space-eater against the run.
What are your thoughts on Iowa defensive lineman Yahya Black? And which draft prospects would you like to see profiled next? Let us know in the comments below!
