It’s unclear precisely what type of player the Pittsburgh Steelers thought they were drafting when they used a third-round pick a year ago on DeMarvin Leal out of Texas A&M. Nominally a defensive lineman, while his sample size is small, his variety of duties have been vast, playing virtually everywhere in the front seven at one point or another.
Even Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged before the draft that they don’t currently have a concrete plan about what the second-year defender’s role is going to be. Perhaps that’s what the offseason is going to be all about—figuring out where he fits. As far as Leal is concerned, though, he knows his best fit is whatever helps him help the team.
“I’m definitely a tweener”, he told Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette last week. “I have to embrace that because there’s only one kind of me. There’s nobody that can truly do that—playing inside and out, being able to hold a double team, but also be able to be outside and rush”.
Listed at 6’4” and 290 pounds, with solid athleticism, there are a lot of places within the front seven at which Leal can contribute, though his primary role will likely continue to be the traditional defensive end. He will also see some time on the edge, perhaps especially in nickel formations, but he can play out of a three- or two-point stance, or even standing up.
It’s that rare combination that is his greatest asset at the moment and the easiest way for him to see the field. The Steelers have Cameron Heyward and Larry Ogunjobi starting at defensive end, both of whom are amply capable of holding up in a two-man nickel front.
Behind them, Pittsburgh just drafted Keeanu Benton in the second round, and he can play both nose tackle and defensive end, and that’s not to mention some of the other veteran players that they brought in this offseason who can also contribute.
Having a player like Leal who can show up at different parts of the formation from one play to another—or even from before the snap to after—is not only valuable for Leal, of course, but also for the defense. We’ve heard a lot of players use the phrase “chess piece” already this year to describe the versatility of any number of players.
Leal is that chess piece in the defensive trenches. At least, he will be if he earns it. The job should be available to be won, and there may not be any one-for-one competition. Either he proves up for the role or the Steelers will have to deploy multiple players to do what they would like to be able to ask him to do.
