Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers fifth-round rookie defensive tackle Yahya Black has big news in his life outside of football.
The Pittsburgh Steelers announced that rookie defensive tackle Yahya Black recently got engaged with his girlfriend Hailiy.
Congratulations to @Yblack74 and Hailiy on their engagement! đź’Ť pic.twitter.com/qgAU8rqBpI
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 2, 2025
Black was selected by the Steelers in the fifth-round (No. 164 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft following a trade down with the Kansas City Chiefs.
He stands at a massive, 6-foot-6, 336 pounds and was drafted to help Pittsburgh’s run defense woes.
“He’s a big chassis. There’s F-150s, he’s like an F-350. He’s a big man and really stout against the run,” head coach Mike Tomlin said. “You can always use a skill set like that, certainly.”
Over the past five years at Iowa, Black has recorded 117 tackles (51 solo), 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and nine passes defensed.
Black revealed he has put in a lot of work to make it to the NFL, though. He reportedly arrived to Iowa at just 250 pounds.
“I was a string bean when I got to Iowa,” Black said. “The weightlifting program at Iowa, they really do it right. Maybe the pounds weren’t the best early on, but they really molded me into the guy I am now.”
Black’s work paid off and he now gets to join 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.
It’s been a life-changing offseason for several of Pittsburgh’s players. Newly acquired wide receiver DK Metcalf revealed during his introductory press conference that he and is girlfriend Normani are now engaged. He proposed to Normani the day before signing his massive five-year, $150 million deal with the Steelers.
Outside linebacker T.J. Watt and kicker Chris Boswell both have had children. Outside linebacker Julius Welschof announced his engagement, too.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Rookie Makes Major Life Announcement
