It wasn’t the easiest transition to the NFL for Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 third-round draft pick DeMarvin Leal.
Landing with the Steelers, Leal didn’t quite have that clear-cut fit in Pittsburgh’s 3-4 defense. He was — and remains — a ‘tweener overall, which caused him to move around quite a bit from the defensive line, edge, off-ball linebacker and more defensively in his first year.
That constant change and not having a clear, defined role and home position-wise led to some struggles and disappointment for Leal, who didn’t record a sack in his rookie season and had just 14 tackles in 11 games and 175 defensive snaps.
Those struggles are something Leal hopes to learn from, stating to reporters Wednesday at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side that he has a better idea of who he is as a player in the NFL and that he hopes to use that to ascend in his second season.
“I’ve got a better idea of who I am,” Leal said, according to video via Steelers.com. “Just looking forward to making it more consistent and moving forward.”
At the time of his selection in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M, Leal was a curious one due to his fit with the Steelers. He profiled as more of a 4-3 defensive end, but instead was asked to be a 3-4 defensive end, an outside linebacker and a sub-package down lineman at times. He flashed at times in 2022 as a rookie after being given a larger role than expected, but his play was far from impactful overall.
He certainly has the athleticism and the motor that runs hot, giving him the all-important want-to, but entering Year 2 Leal lacks a go-to pass rush move and was unproductive in that role, which was a bit of a disappointment in his rookie season. Based on the charting done here at Steelers Depot, Leal registered just two pressures all season, one per every 46 rushes, a terrible number that must improve in 2023. There’s still always been questions about his run defense, too, making for a challenging second season ahead.
While he says he has a better understanding of who he is and aims to build off that knowledge, it still appears as if the Steelers don’t really know who — or what — he is as a player. His role this season still remains unclear. The Steelers are intent on playing fourth-round pick Nick Herbig as an OLB to some degree though they may quickly bail on the plan if they realize it’s not working. Leal could still serve as depth on the outside or he could again add weight and be part of the team’s rotational pass rush depth in nickel packages. Right now, the Steelers seem unsure about what to do with him and we may not get a clearer answer until the summer when training camp begins.
Entering a year that will be his second lap around the track, as head coach Mike Tomlin likes to say, there should be a comfort level for Leal regarding what’s expected of him and what it takes to succeed in the NFL. That alone should help him, even if his true role is unclear for the time being.
