We don't often call Day 3 draft choices 'roster locks' before ever even logging their first training camp. However, that's what many Pittsburgh Steelers fans have done with Will Howard. Despite being selected in the sixth round, many believe Howard's spot on the roster will be safe due to the lack of overall depth and youth at the position.
But there's another Day 3 rookie who has an even better case to be a Steelers 'roster lock' this year.
Yahya Black was a fifth-round pick by Pittsburgh in the 2025 NFL Draft. The big defensive lineman possesses below-average athletic traits in comparison to his defensive tackle peers now joining the NFL. He doesn't wow talent evaluators with speed or burst, and quite frankly, his college production of 15 tackles for a loss and five sacks throughout five seasons is enough to lull you to sleep.
Additionally, Black wasn't even considered a value pick in the NFL Draft. The Steelers selected the Iowa product with the 164th overall selection in the fifth round this year, while Black was the 163rd overall prospect on Marcus Mosher's 2025 NFL Draft Expert Consensus Board.
Despite all of these factors, Black has a defining trait that should already make him a roster lock on the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025: his run defense ability.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need Yahya Black to help fix their biggest problem on defense
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't have an egregious run defense on paper last year. They allowed a respectable 4.3 yards per carry and 109 rushing yards per contest. However, they were a below-average team when it came to run defense EPA.
The biggest issue is that, when it mattered most late in the season, the Steelers couldn't come close to stopping the run. In back-to-back games against the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens in mid-December, Pittsburgh's defense allowed a combined 351 rushing yards, allowing nearly 6.4 yards per carry in this stretch.
Players like Larry Ogunjobi and Keeanu Benton were routinely washed out of the play, and the Steelers didn't have the depth to spell Cam Heyward a much-needed break.
Enter Yahya Black, a 6'6'', 336-pound run defender with massive 35-inch arms and an innate ability to anchor against double teams. Teresa Varley of Steelers.com reported that Black was up to 352 pounds during summer activities, which would only aid his ability to be unmoved in the running game.
Outside of Cam Heyward, the Steelers had no defensive tackle who could anchor or hold up at the point of attack with any sort of consistency in 2024. Though you won't often see Black disrupting plays from the backfield, he could stack and shed blocks with ease at Iowa, and this is a trait that should translate to the next level.
The biggest hurdle for Black will be proving that he can be more than just a situational run defender. Ideally, the fifth-round pick needs to be a guy who the team can count on to see the field in more than just short yardage, obvious run downs, or goal-line situations.
Likewise, it stands to reason that first-round pick Derrick Harmon is going to see a significant role from the gate as a base 3-4 defensive end who will kick inside as a 3-technique in subpackages. Still, there should be plenty of snaps to go around.
With a severe lack of defensive tackles on the roster who are known for stopping the run, you can practically pencil in Yahya Black as a roster lock for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025, assuming he stays healthy this summer.