Iowa defensive lineman Yahya Black runs a drill at the NFL football scouting combine in Indianapolis, Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Yahya Black, a 2020 graduate of Marshall High School and a defensive lineman for the University of Iowa, was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 28th pick of the fifth round of the NFL draft on Saturday.

The 164th overall selection, Black has the opportunity to become just the second Marshall native to play in the NFL, according to Pro Football Reference, joining Trey Lance. Blaise Andries was also signed as an undrafted free agent in the 2022 NFL draft, though he was waived before the start of the season.

“It’s always very exciting to see those guys have that success and represent our program,” Marshall High School head football coach Terry Bahlmann said.

Bahlmann was at a draft party with Yahya Black and Black’s family, and said that everyone in attendance was happy for Yahya and proud of how he’s represented the Marshall community.

“The phone call came in when we were watching the draft, and he was in tears, I was in tears, we were just so excited for him to reach his goals that he’s worked for basically his whole life,” Bahlmann said, saying that Black was about 250 pounds when he left Marshall and has gone up to 337, showing his hard work and dedication in the weight room.

During his time at Marshall High School, Black was named to the All-State team as a senior, was named the district’s Defensive Lineman of the Year as a junior, and set a school record with 17.5 career sacks. The Tigers also reached the Class AAAA state tournament during his sophomore and junior seasons.

“He just has an ability to improve,” Bahlmann said. “He put on almost 90 poundsin college there, his ability to work and stay the course, he was willing to do those little things for the University of Iowa. He’s the run-stuffer guy, not the big showman guy, but very exciting when he leads the Hawkeyes out of the tunnel there that he’s the leader for. He was always a quiet kid, and he’s taking that next role of being a leader.”

Black was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention, as voted on by the coaches and media, during his junior and senior seasons at Iowa.

The Pittsburgh Steelers went 10-7 last season, finishing second in the AFC North before falling in the wildcard round to the Baltimore Ravens, 28-14.

This season, the Steelers will host Minnesota, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Buffalo, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Miami and Seattle. They’ll play road matchups against Chicago, Detroit, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, New England, the Los Angeles Chargers and the New York Jets.

Dates and times for the Steelers’ regular-season schedule are yet to be determined.