Yahya
Black.
Yahya
Black.
Iowa· 6'6"· 336 lb· 5.39s 40
"A powerful run-defender with an elite anchor at the point of attack, Black's NFL future hinges on his ability to develop a consistent pass-rush plan beyond a bull rush."Pre-draft read
Black is a mass-and-length problem in the middle. At 6-6 and 336 pounds with genuinely long arms, he two-gaps, holds his ground against down blocks and rarely gets displaced when he plays with proper pad level. Iowa asked him to eat blocks so the linebackers could run, and he did that job for five years without complaint.
The rush is the honest limitation. He wins with a long-arm and a bull, and when that stalls there is no second move — 5.5 career sacks in 53 games is not an accident. Where the length shows up instead is at the line of scrimmage: nine career pass breakups from a nose tackle is real, and he times his hands well when he cannot get home.
Pittsburgh's 3-4 two-gap defense relies on big defensive linemen who can control multiple gaps and allow linebackers to flow freely to the ball.
Year 1 rotational nose tackle who can develop into a starting two-gap run stuffer within two seasons.
Any one-gap penetrating 4-3 scheme that asks its defensive tackles to consistently shoot gaps and generate interior pressure.
Black possesses the rare size and strength to excel in Pittsburgh's scheme, provided he refines his technique and maintains his conditioning.
NFL DRAFT HIGHLIGHTS: DL Yahya Black | Iowa Football
Yahya Black Iowa Highlights
Yahya Black highlights - Pittsburgh Steelers Pick #164 Yahya Black, DL, Iowa Hawkeyes
Black started for five years at Iowa and finished with 115 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and nine pass breakups across 53 games, with his best year coming in 2023 (50 tackles, 4.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks). The counting numbers are a poor description of the role: he was the two-gap anchor in a defense built to funnel everything to its linebackers.
The frame is the pitch. There are not many humans built like this — 6-6, 336 pounds, arms that let him keep blockers off his chest and knock down passes he has no chance of reaching. Against the run he is a legitimate early-down starter right now, capable of holding a double team and keeping the second level clean.
The testing told the rest of the story: 5.39 in the forty, a 25.5-inch vertical and a 7.63 three-cone are bottom-tier athletic markers even for a nose tackle. He is a two-down player until he develops a counter off the bull rush, which is exactly what a fifth-round pick on a run-defending nose is meant to be.
- 01
Rare Size and Length
He possesses rare size and length at 6-6, 336 pounds, showing a natural two-gap anchor.
- 02
Holds Double Teams
He consistently holds double teams, which keeps linebackers clean on early downs.
- 03
Pass Breakups
He has nine career pass breakups, using his length at the line when his rush stalls.
- 04
Big Ten Experience
He has five years of starting experience in a disciplined Big Ten run front.
- 05
Heavy Hands
He uses heavy hands and a functional long-arm technique to reset the line of scrimmage.
- 01
Limited Pass Rush
He lacks a pass-rush plan beyond the bull rush, recording 5.5 sacks in 53 games.
- 02
Bottom-Tier Testing
His testing numbers were bottom-tier, including a 5.39 forty, 25.5-inch vertical, and 7.63 three-cone.
- 03
Plays High When Tired
He plays high when fatigued and loses leverage late in drives.
- 04
Limited Snap Count
He projects with a limited snap-count ceiling, suggesting a two-down role until his pass rush develops.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 5.39sp50
- Vertical
- 25.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 101inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.63sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.72sp50
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Iowa | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Iowa | 14 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2022 | Iowa | 8 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | Iowa | 14 | 50 | 3.5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 2024 | Iowa | 13 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Career | — | 53 | 115 | 5.5 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Like Saunders, this player projects as a sturdy interior defender who excels at anchoring against the run and occasionally pushing the pocket.
Similar to Godchaux, this prospect can become a consistent run-stuffer with enough pass-rush upside to stay on the field in various packages.
At his floor, he mirrors Phillips as a powerful, space-eating defensive tackle who can disrupt plays in the trenches on a rotational basis.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pittsburgh has always valued big-bodied linemen who can hold a gap and let the linebackers play free, and Black at 164 is that archetype in its purest form.
The athletic testing is what dropped him. In a league drafting interior rushers, a nose tackle who does not pressure the quarterback has a narrow market regardless of how well he holds the point.
The realistic outcome is a long rotational career in a base-heavy front — 350 to 450 snaps a year, mostly on early downs, occasionally batting a ball at the line. That is a useful player, and a fair return here.