With the 2025 preseason in the books, one Pittsburgh Steelers rookie made a name for himself: Yahya Black. When general manager Omar Khan doubled up on the interior defensive line in the 2025 NFL Draft, some fans questioned his motives. But Khan is already showing he knew exactly what he was doing.
In the preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Black played like he was shot out of a cannon. The big defensive lineman bullied the guys in front of him while showing some spark as a pass rusher. His performance was so impressive that it caught the eye of Brian Baldinger, who quickly did a film breakdown of Black after the game.
It was a great sign that head coach Mike Tomlin decided to shut Black down after just 10 snaps in his preseason debut. But his dominant preseason performance didn't end there.
After a quieter game against the Buccaneers, Black went on a rampage in the Steelers' preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers. The fifth-round rookie collected five tackles, two sacks, and two tackles for a loss on just 18 snaps. This is a wild production per snap ratio.
Somehow, the numbers don't even do the performance justice.
Following the game, I broke down Black's all-22 film on X, where you can see just how dominant the rookie was in his final preseason showing of 2025. On his final two plays of the game, before Tomlin decided his night was finished, Black recorded back-to-back sacks while bulldozing the offensive lineman in front of him.
The Pittsburgh Steelers found a gem in rookie DL Yahya Black
While Derrick Harmon was the more talked-about player throughout the summer, it was Yahya Black who stole the show in the end. Black followed up an excellent training camp with an even more brilliant preseason performance.
When the Steelers drafted the Iowa product, the fifth-round pick wasn't even considered a roster lock. But with Pittsburgh's preseason over, we can safely say that Black should be part of the Steelers' defensive line rotation from Day 1.
Black showed during the preseason that he can play anything from 5-technique to 0-technique. At 6'6'' and 336 pounds with 35'' arms, Black has an unmatched frame and impressive power to handle any assignment. The rookie also showed enough quickness to make a serious impact in exhibition action.
We still need to see how things shape up during his first season, but Yahya Black could be in line for some massive work on defense as a rookie. The fifth-round pick has already exceeded every expectation, and he's looking like a major draft steal before his first season even starts.