The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Texas A&M DL DeMarvin Leal with the 84th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, the team’s third round selection.
Leal is a long and versatile defensive lineman who broke out in 2021 with 12 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks. He’s another underclassmen, following WR George Pickens, who also declared a year early. Leal weighed in at 6037, 283 pounds with 33 1/4-inch arms.
Pittsburgh adds to its defensive line to get young upfront and protect themselves over the uncertainty of Stephon Tuitt’s 2022 status. Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar attended Leal’s Pro Day earlier this year.
Over his three-year career, Leal recorded 25 tackles for loss with 13 sacks, five pass deflections, and two forced fumbles.
New defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said Austin is capable of playing all over the line, though he expects him to start as a defensive end.
Check out Leal getting the call.
In our scouting report, our Jonathan Heitritter wrote:
“Overall, DeMarvin Leal is a bit of a tweener at this point, having the athleticism to line up on the outside and come off the edge as a 4-3 DE, but also the size to kick inside and rush over the guard, utilizing his speed and quickness to shoot gaps and be a disruptive presence on the interior. While he has good functional athleticism and versatility, Leal needs to develop more play strength in terms of being a more consistent run defender as well as his ability to get off blocks more consistently rather than relying on extended plays to give him a shot to work to get pressure on the QB. Developing a quality counter move as a rusher as well as becoming stronger with his lower half will be keys to how successful Leal becomes at the next level.”
Check out our full profile below.
