Weekly Wardaddies: Yahya Black
Full disclosure: Yahya Black has been one of my favorite players for months now. The height, the length, the burst, the cowboy collar? He had it all from a film standpoint but for whatever reason just wasn’t getting the love.…
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Continue ReadingFull disclosure: Yahya Black has been one of my favorite players for months now. The height, the length, the burst, the cowboy collar? He had it all from a film standpoint but for whatever reason just wasn’t getting the love. This may have just been a result of lack of marketing.
Black barely posts to his Twitter account and, until recently, was rated as low as 0.7299 (if I remember correctly) on 247 sports. As unfortunate as it can be, coaches have limited time. Recruiting in the digital age is about maximizing exposure and while Black is a nice exception, many more players don’t get the recognition he did. Many coaches will tell you that they’ve written players off because of social media. Not because of anything they posted, but because they couldn’t find the correct account.
On the other hand, for all of Yahya Black’s lack of self-marketing, putting his film on Hudl was really all he needed. It really does go to show that if you are good enough they’ll find you. And rest assured, Yahya Black is not sneaking into this recruiting class. I expect him to be a full-on beast at the next level. Read on to see why.
Yahya Black – DE – Marshall
Black with teammate Trey Steinbach
Size/Body Type
Looks like a legit B1G athlete; appears about 6’5″ just off the film alone. Listed at 240 pounds which may be a tad generous. Looks a little soft overall without a great deal of muscle tone. May just be baby fat that will melt off in a college program. Prototypically high-cut and lengthy frame with arms that hang to the floor.
Athleticism
Flashes explosiveness off the snap but gains the most ground in steps 2-3+. Covers a lot of ground when sprinting and has enough foot turnover to be very scary when he’s rushing from depth. Looks comfortable getting low and bending at the knees and ankles. Some hip stiffness that may pigeonhole him as a base end instead of a stand-up rusher. Feet are very active and keep him in generally good situations.
Pass Rush
Flashes some decent burst for such a long-legged athlete. Flashes ability to get low and run the arc (albeit most times he’s either running free or through some one). Shows a still-developing understanding of leverage and how his length can help him though his hand placement can be hit-or-miss. That being said his bull rush can be downright dominant. Has some great moments as a pass rusher.
Run Game
Very long limbs with enough natural size to handle life on the edge. Has some balance issues when attacking from depth. Seems to enjoy banging into guys more than defeating them with technique. I’d like to see more film of him playing 5 technique defensive end in Marshall’s scheme. Not a huge amount of run game film in general on his Hudl.
Power
Outstanding. Long arms and enough girth and explosiveness to rock opposing blockers. Watch out once he learns consistent hand placement. Has enough lower body athleticism to drive himself out of stalemates and win his matchups. His feet really are one of his best traits. Consistently shows ability to convert speed to power from linebacker depth and also off the edge. About as close to a Wardaddy as you’re gonna get. Watch him demolish this defensive end if you still have questions:
Hand Technique
Under-developed but has a light grasp on how effective he can be by utilizing his length. Should really be the only move he uses right now because he would dominate every matchup. Hand placement can be spotty. Wins by force not finesse. Some growth in this area would take his game to another level.
Flexibility
When he’s digging and playing with urgency he has above average ability to contort his body and run the arc of the offensive tackle. Moves decent enough laterally but shows obvious limitations in space. Shows some nice flexibility but only in certain contexts. He’s a defensive end that’s for sure.
Effort
Drives his feet through contact and consistently runs to the ball. Many of his highlight plays came after having to cut back and chase. Engine can run cold at times but this may be more attributable to not having a rush plan or being run out of the play. One thing he does do consistently is find work, as you’ll see below:
Summary
Yahya Black has a legitimately interesting blend of size, bend, and foot speed. This combination of traits makes him a high-potential mold of clay that is clearly in high demand. Black already fields offers from the Gophers, Iowa, Kansas St. and NDSU.
Black’s statistics also pass the smell test. I personally like to see at least 10 tackles for loss as a Junior front seven player and he blows that out of the water. In 2018 alone he had 17 TFL with 10 sacks. That’s clearly been enough to get some offers but if gets above the 20 TFL range then I think we’ll begin to see some blue blood interest.
Interestingly enough, Black’s athletic profile also projects to offensive tackle as well. He clearly has good feet and length but would have to sit at least 3 years before facing competition, in my opinion. His stiffness raises questions about his ability to thrive on the edge in a 4-3, but his style does remind me some of Danielle Hunter. Hunter had similar traits coming out: length, strength, solid athleticism and burst, limited flexibility and mobility in space. That ended up not being important as he’s shown that you don’t need to be Von Miller if you have extendo arms.
Overall, I believe that with the right staff Black can be a good strong side defensive end in any scheme. I am concerned about his effort at times, but with some improved hand technique and more snap-to-snap intensity, he could be a surprise stud out of the 2020 class. I had originally written this blurb at the end of April but for whatever reason never put it together in a full article. Back then I believed that he’d get some modest Group of 5 offers near the end of 2019. I ended up being wrong on that and couldn’t be happier. Hopefully stories like his become the norm rather than an outlier.