Insider: Steelers Plan For Massive Nose Tackle

The Pittsburgh Steelers have an exciting second-year player.

Nov 23, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Yahya Black (94) reacts after a fumble recovery against the Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers took a gamble, using draft capital on an oft-forgotten position during the 2025 NFL Draft.

During the fifth round, the team drafted Iowa's Yahya Black, a defensive tackle who was set to occupy the nose tackle role with the Steelers.

One concern with that was the slow removal of emphasis on the nose tackle role in recent seasons, as teams' formations change and modernize.

As they move into the second year of his career, Steelers reporter for the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette Gerry Dulac spoke about the role he will have, and how the formations may play out for him during the regular season in his weekly Steelers chat on the Post-Gazette site.

"Black will be more of the nose," Dulac wrote. "When they play the 3-4 front, which typically hasn't been much."

Dulac reiterated his main role of nose tackle, but interestingly points to the 3-4 setup as the main place that he will be utilized. The 3-4 setup, which is commonly known as "base defense", is not one that the Steelers frequently use. While the Steelers' usage went from 26 percent to 39 percent from 2024 to 2025 in the base set, the team still operates out of the set less than half the time.

This is a cause for concern, because at this point Black is not the starter at that nose tackle position. Keeanu Benton is currently the starter, and while he offers more versatility than Black in terms of operating out of other tackle spots, he is still set to run the position.

Dec 21, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Keeanu Benton (95) celebrates after a sack during the first quarter against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

An Important 2026 for Black

 may fall victim to this being a "make-or-break-it year" in just his second season, as teams increasingly make contract decisions further in advance than previously. His frame at over 330 pounds is certainly enticing and may allow the team to take advantage of size-based matchups in the middle.

Black may be an elite talent at the position, but at this point it is impossible to tell. Appearing in just 36% of the team's defensive snaps despite making an appearance in 17 games gives Black too small a sample size to tell if the Steelers' gamble in Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft has paid off. He still has time to prove himself, but the Steelers need to allow for the opportunity for him to do so, at a better rate than they did in 2025.

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