The Pittsburgh Steelers got embarrassed to end their 2024 season. They started 10-3, then lost every single game after that, and most of them were complete blowouts. There are many questions on if Pittsburgh can rebound and prove themselves as contenders in 2025, or if what happened in 2024 was just "The Standard" for them. Many of their recent draft picks were made to try and squash that theory into the ground, with one of them in particular being used to avenge two of those losses in the five-game losing streak.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Mike Tomlin looks on as his team loses another playoff game at the end of the 2024 season.
While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Mark Kaboly brought that situation up, and how they wanted to get a player that would specifically be used against the Baltimore Ravens and their star-studded rushing offense.
"[Yahya Black] is a big guy, what is he? 340-something?" Kaboly said. "Plug it up. Once again, those are specific games. That's Baltimore games when you have those big running games. Even Cleveland, to a degree now after they got a big running back. That's a guy that is specific to game plans, and he'll probably play five snaps one game and 35 the next game eventually."
The Steelers used their fifth-round pick on a supposed steal when they drafted Yahya Black. Even though defensive line coach Karl Dunbar announced that Black would likely compete for the three/four-tech spot, there is still a very good chance that he will get some chances at nose tackle to help shut down the running game in the regular season.
Jerod Ringwald / Iowa Athletics
Steelers draft pick Yahya Black making a tackle during a colliegate game.
If that's the case and Kaboly is right, Black will be used a lot when the Steelers play against the Ravens. Pittsburgh used to be able to shut down Baltimore's potent rush attack, but that all came to a stop when the defense couldn't contain Derrick Henry. The defense fell apart in the game, and that turned out to be a big turning point in the Steelers' season.
Despite losing their last four regular season games, the Steelers made the playoffs and faced off against the Ravens again. The defense seemed to give up entirely as they allowed almost 300 total rushing yards to five different rushers. They got completely embarrassed, and they need a way to punch back. The lack of physicality against the Ravens, and in the rest of the losses, is not acceptable at all.
That's where Black comes in. He's not much of a pass rusher, but his big frame should help stop runs between the A gaps with his 336-pound frame. In any other game, he will get a snap here and there; maybe he can make a few appearances on special teams. When he's going against the Ravens and a handful of other run-heavy teams, the Steelers may make the gameplan around Black.
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Steelers defensive lineman Yahya Black during a collegiate game versus Wisconsin
Steelers Are Loading Up Defensive Line
Of course, Black wasn't the only defensive linemen selected by the Steelers. They used their first-round pick to draft Derrick Harmon to play next to TJ Watt and maybe replace Cameron Heyward later on. Getting big and physical with premier players to complement their current stars was the obvious focus for Pittsburgh in the draft, and it looks like they succeeded.
A defensive line of Heyward, Black, and Harmon with Watt and Alex Highsmith on the edges will be a front five to be feared across the league. Heyward had a career revival in 2024, and if he keeps it up, there won't be a single gap that will be handed to opposing offenses on a silver platter. The Ravens may have an elite run game, but they will need to work extra hard to make it happen.
What do you think about the idea of Black being drafted for the sole purpose of beating the Ravens? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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