The Pittsburgh Steelers' defense has been one of the NFL's best over the last five or so years, but fans of the team know that they have failed to show up in the playoffs. A big reason for that has been their run defense cratering, thanks to poor play from the defensive front.
In their last five playoff losses, they have allowed an average of 175 yards per game on the ground. It wasn't just volume either, allowing 5.1 yards per attempt over that same sample size. Their most recent loss in last year's playoffs is the most glaring example of this, giving up 299 yards to the rival Baltimore Ravens.
Luckily, Omar Khan seemed to understand the defenses shortcomings based on how he has handled this offseason.
Drafting Oregon's Derrick Harmon was the most obvious upgrade made to the defensive front, but he has Cam Heyward and Keeanu Benton ahead of him on the depth chart. The player that fans should be expecting to make an immediate impact, however, is fifth-round rookie Yahya Black.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans should be disappointed if Yahya Black isn't the starting nose tackle
The Steelers haven't had a true nose tackle for years now, and I believe it has impacted their ability to play consistently great run defense. They have been above average by most metrics over the last decade, but it hasn't held up against tough opponents in the playoffs.
They don't need to find the next Casey Hampton or anything like that, but they can do better than guys like Montravius Adams or even playing Keeanu Benton out of position there.
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That is where Yahya Black out of Iowa comes into play. He is the textbook definition of a true nose tackle, standing at 6-5 and 352 pounds according to a report from Steelers.com's Teresa Varley. His immense length and strength, combined with that size, make him a perfect fit to be Pittsburgh's primary NT.
It may not be a full-time position, but fans should still be angry if he doesn't get the majority of the snaps. Mike Tomlin has a history of bringing his rookies along slowly, so it wouldn't be a surprise for Black to see sparse playing time early.
That would be a mistake by Tomlin, and one that could come back to bite him if the team has to face another high-powered rushing attack in the playoffs yet again.