Football <\/p>\n
Making the jump from college football to the NFL is a tall task for young players. No longer is the game part of the college experience where players are student-athletes and have school responsibilities.<\/p>\n
Now, they\u2019re in the real world, so to speak. Football is a job.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also a long, grinding season that they have to adjust to. For rookies, it\u2019s an even bigger adjustment because the pre-draft process can be draining with all-star games, the NFL Combine, pro days, the draft and then rookie minicamp.<\/p>\n
All of that is on the player\u2019s plate before there are OTAs, mandatory minicamp and then training camp. Then, of course, there\u2019s the season, which is 17 games and potentially more \u2014 much longer than the players will experience in college.<\/p>\n
That rookie wall can be brutal on players both mentally and physically.<\/p>\n
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Yahya Black found that out firsthand last season. Appearing on the \u201cNot Just Football with Cam Heyward\u201d podcast during the 2026 NFL Draft, Black recalled hitting that proverbial rookie wall and how challenging it was to deal with.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat whole beginning and then getting into preseason [was tough], but also our bye week was early,\u201d Black said of the rookie wall, according to video via the show\u2019s YouTube page.<\/a> \u201cAnd after the bye week, I was good for a couple more games and then I hit a mean wall.<\/p>\n \u201cI went home and I told my wife, I was like, \u2018I\u2019m tired.\u2019 She\u2019s like, \u2018Go to sleep.\u2019 I was like, \u2018No, like I\u2019m tired.\u2019 I don\u2019t want to go in today.’\u201d<\/p>\n Having that bye week early in the season in Week 5 after the trip to Dublin to take on the Minnesota Vikings was tough for the Steelers. After that bye week, the Steelers ended up playing 14 straight games, including the playoffs.<\/p>\n That was difficult for Black. He\u2019d never played more than 13 games in a season at Iowa during his collegiate career, so to do 14 straight after already going through four games early in the season on top of training camp, minicamp, OTAs, rookie minicamp and the pre-draft process was tough.<\/p>\n His play never quite showed that rookie wall, though.<\/p>\n In Weeks 10, 12 and 16 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions \u2014 ironically all three were road games \u2014 Black had his best performances of the season. According to Pro Football Focus<\/a>, Black graded out at a 91.0 against the Chargers, a 91.7 against the Bears and an 82.6 against the Lions.<\/p>\n From Weeks 6 to 18 in the regular season, Black played 304 of his 416 regular-season snaps. His play didn\u2019t really drop off despite hitting that proverbial rookie wall, which is a positive. Even when he might have been exhausted, Black was ready to go on the field and was a key rotational piece for the Steelers up front.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Now that he has finished the first lap around the track in the NFL, Black should be better suited to deal with the long grind of an NFL season in 2026 and beyond.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n