From Detroit to Kenny Pickett: How the Steelers drafted Yahya Black & Carson Bruener

One of my favorite things to do during the Steelers offseason is to dive deeper down the rabbit hole of some of the Steelers draft picks and how they came to be. In the past I’ve used a compensatory train to connect Keyaron Fox to James Connor. I find these kind of things intriguing.

This time, I found an interesting trail that led to the Steelers selecting Yahya Black with the 164th pick in the 2025 NFL draft. The Steelers acquired this pick less than an hour before it was ultimately utilized for the nose tackle out of Iowa as they traded back eight spots in the fifth round.

So let’s go on a journey following the 164th selection of a 2025 NFL draft and how it bounced around from team to team and even included a former Steelers starting quarterback.

Step 1: Detroit Lions

The 26 pick of the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft was originally awarded to the Detroit Lions. With the Lions having the best record of teams that lost on the divisional weekend of the playoffs, this was the slot Detroit was scheduled to select in every round. After all the compensatory picks were awarded, it was announced their fifth-round selection was the 164th pick in the draft.

Step 2: Cleveland Browns

Although it was originally awarded to the Lions, the 164th pick was already property of the Browns before its exact number was known. During the 2025 season, the Browns traded Za’Darius Smith and a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Lions for their fifth-round selection as well as a sixth-round pick in 2026. This trade occurred in November 2024 just before the NFL trading deadline.

Step 3: Philadelphia Eagles

Once again, before the 26th pick of the fifth round was even known to be the 164th selection of the 2025 NFL draft, the pick was already on the move again. Just ahead of the new league year when the trade could be made official, the Browns sent the pick they acquired from the Lions, along with quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, to the Philadelphia Eagles and exchange for former Steelers first round pick Kenny Pickett.

Step 4: Kansas City Chiefs

Two days before the selection was made, the 164th pick in the 2025 NFL draft was used by the Philadelphia Eagles to move up one spot in the first round. The Eagles traded the 164th pick and the 32nd pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in order to select Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell. In turn, the Chiefs acquired this pick and selected offensive tackle Joshua Simmons from Ohio State.

Step 5: Pittsburgh Steelers

As Day 3 of the 2025 NFL draft rolled on, the Kansas City Chiefs traded up eight spots in the fifth round with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 164 to 156 to select Oregon linebacker Geoffrey Bassa. In turn, the Steelers received pick 164, where they selected Yahya Black, as well as another seventh-round pick, number 226, where they selected linebacker Carson Bruener out of Washington.

I find it interesting to see when NFL draft picks make such a journey. It’s not often that a pick goes through five different teams that includes a former first-round pick of the team who ultimately used the selection of where the trade was between two completely different teams.

Maybe you don’t find these kind of things interesting. If not, I understand. But for those who do, I hope you enjoyed the journey.