Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Omar Khan is very excited about one of their late additions in this year’s draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping they landed several impact players in the 2025 NFL Draft. Luckily, that already is looking to be the case for one of their late-round selections.
Steelers general manager Omar Khan couldn’t help but praise defensive tackle Yahya Black, their fifth-round pick, following the first couple weeks of training camp.
“He’s great. He’s been what we expect him to be,” Khan said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I think he’s only gonna get better. We feel fortunate that he was still there in the fifth round, and it was easy when we were on the clock.”
Black stands at a massive, 6-foot-6, 336 pounds and proved to be a difference maker over the past five years at Iowa, recording 117 tackles (51 solo), 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and nine passes defensed.
Black wants to prove he’s more than just big, though.
“There’s always big guys everywhere,” Black said during rookie minicamp. “There’s a lot of things out there that they’re trying to teach us, and sometimes you just have to take it one thing at a time to really try to take everything in.”
That’s exactly what Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has seen thus far.
“I’ve been really impressed by his ability to chase the ball on screens and stuff being 336 pounds,” Tomlin said. “Just his mindset regarding hustling is encouraging for a man that big. And so, part of it is the grocery shopping, but now it’s time to cook.”
Black’s next test will be if he can continue to translate his play in the preseason. If he does just that, the Steelers may have found themselves a late-round gem.
Black joins his former Iowa teammates, running back Kaleb Johnson, who the Steelers drafted in the third round (No. 83), and defensive lineman Logan Lee, who was selected in the sixth round in 2024, in Pittsburgh.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers ‘Feel Fortunate’ to Have Landed Late-Round Rookie
