No secret that their defensive line needed an injection of youth, the Pittsburgh Steelers made the position the focus of two of their first four picks of this draft when they selected Iowa’s Yahya Black in the fifth round Saturday.
Black joins first-round pick Derrick Harmon as defensive linemen added to a position group headed by the soon-to-be 36-year-old Cameron Heyward and in need of a replacement for recently-released three-year Steelers starter Larry Ogunjobi.
“It’s always good to get younger,” Steelers defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said. “Guys, late in the season can’t bounce back because of the beating you’re taking, so now we add two new guys this weekend is great.”
The Steelers took Black at No. 164 overall after trading back while on the clock at No. 156. The Kansas City Chiefs sent a seventh-round pick for their trouble. The move gives the Steelers seven picks in the seven rounds.
Each of the first four were spent on Big Ten players, three on defense and two from Iowa. Not only is third-round running back Kaleb Johnson a former teammate of Black, so is 2024 sixth-round pick Logan Lee. Lee, who missed all of last season because of injury, will this summer be competing with Black for a spot on the depth chart.
At 336 pounds, Black is more of an interior option. But Dunbar was reluctant to pigeon-hole him into a spot.
“At the end of the day, I’m really just going to play wherever they need me,” Black said. “They have a good group, so wherever I fit in I’ll go with that.”
The 6-foot-6 Black was an honorable mention Big Ten selection each of the past two seasons after he became a starter. Over 27 games the past two seasons, Black totaled 4½ sacks, seven batted-down balls, two forced fumbles and 12 tackles for loss.
Black was graded by Pro Football Focus as the 19th-best interior defensive lineman from a power-four conference program that played at least 400 defensive snaps last season. He was among the 30 out-of-town prospects the Steelers hosted for an official pre-draft visit.
