Steelers Get Promising Message About Rookie In 2025: "There's More There"

The Pittsburgh Steelers needed to get better in specific areas throughout the 2025 offseason, one of which being the defensive line. The unit needed to be better overall, while also gaining some depth and youth. The Steelers attacked this through free agency by signing Daniel Ekuale, but the organization also wasted no time addressing the position during the 2025 NFL Draft. Pittsburgh selected defensive tackle Derrick Harmon out of Oregon in the first round, and then added Yahya Black out of Iowa in the fifth round of the event.

The selection of Black has kind of gone under the radar. This is likely due to Pittsburgh spending its first pick in the draft on the defensive line, but Black should be able to make a decent impact during his rookie year as well. He is a gigantic force in the middle of the defensive line that stands at 6'6" and over 330 pounds. His size alone will make it hard for running backs to find room to move, which is something Pittsburgh struggled with at the end of the 2024 season. 

Black's head coach at Iowa, Kirk Ferentz, spoke to the Steelers' media team about his former player and what he could bring to Pittsburgh.

"We've had many guys with size and abilities, but I told the NFL people, from my vantage point at least, I think the best is still to come," Ferentz said. "He's had some injuries he's had to deal with during his time here. And maybe I'm old-fashioned, I don't know, but I do believe guys get better when they practice. I just believe it, the more and more you play and the more you practice, the better you get."

Black played just four games in 2020 and eight games in 2022, but he played in at least 13 games throughout his other three college football seasons. His best season probably came in 2023 when he recorded three and a half sacks, 51 total tackles, five tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. He came into Iowa as a raw prospect, and he has improved significantly over the last five years thanks to Ferentz and his coaching staff. That improvement will continue in Pittsburgh.

Ferentz believes Black will only get better as he continues to get more experience under his belt, and hopefully that is the case. He also gets to learn from Cam Heyward while he is with the Steelers, who is one of the best defensive linemen in all of the NFL over the last decade. 

Ferentz spoke more about his former player.

"I just think there's more there," Ferentz said. "I think he still can play faster and can play more fluidly, and I think that's waiting for him. So to me, a little bit more time, a little bit more experience, he's going to take another step of learning all those types of things. But I think you'll see continued growth and development with him."

Black will be a rotational player to begin his career as the starting defensive line is likely going to consist of Heyward, Harmon, and Keeanu Benton setting up in between them. Black will rotate in occasionally to keep everyone fresh, and he will likely be on the field in short yardage situations.

Steelers' Defensive Line Could Be Dominant For Years To Come

The Steelers made an emphasis on getting younger defensively, and it has seemed to work. This injection of youth should keep the defensive front fresh while consistently showing growth over the next couple of seasons. Heyward has a couple of seasons left and he is still playing at a high level, while the fan base is waiting to see a good jump from Benton as he prepares to enter his third season. If Harmon can live up to his first-round label, and Black can be a solid rotational piece with starter-potential, the unit could end up being one of the best in the league.

What do you think about the comments from Black's college head coach? Let us know in the comments below!

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