When you look at Pittsburgh’s 2022 draft class, you see a lot of players that are poised to take the second-year leap.
QB Kenny Pickett and WR George Pickens are the two most-often talked about players from that class, and for good reason as both showed promise as rookies as anticipate bigger seasons ahead in 2023. WR Calvin Austin III flashed in the preseason, looking to make an impact in his first regular season action after missing all of 2022 with a foot injury. Even TE Connor Heyward looked primed for a leap in his second year as he has showcased a dual-threat skill set as a rusher and receiver this preseason.
Still, one player that often is forgotten about from that draft class is DL DeMarvin Leal who didn’t make a notable impact on the stat sheet as a rookie but did his best to jump on the moving train and play numerous spots along the defensive line. Finally having time to slow down and catch his breath, Leal feels surer of himself heading into Year Two and the impact that he can make an impact on the field for the defense.
“I feel a lot more confident,” said Leal according to Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. “Last year was a learning lesson. There were a lot of things that developed into my game that I had to put into my game on the fly. I feel like I adjusted pretty well for the first year doing a lot of different things. That helped me for this year knowing what I need to study, gave me more of a perspective to get ready.”
Leal went through a difficult rookie season in which he was tested physically and mentally. He was played on IR for a portion of the season in 2022, playing in only 11 games as he suffered a knee injury that needed time to heal before getting back onto the field.
Leal also found himself being moved around to different positions on defense, playing defensive end, defensive tackle, outside linebacker, and even some stand-up inside linebacker in select situations during his rookie season. DL Coach Karl Dunbar called Leal a “big athlete” having the fluidity to play on his feet despite being a bigger body. That allowed him to fill in for OLB T.J. Watt on the edge at times last season when he missed time due to a pec injury, giving Pittsburgh a bigger body to set the edge against the run.
As a rookie, it can be hard to keep your head above water sometimes, especially when having to play multiple positions and battle through injuries. That’s what Leal did in 2022, and he feels more confident having come through the other side. He has had a full offseason under his belt and has had time to digest the playbook and get a better understanding of all the duties he will be tasked with this season. It’s fair to expect Leal to take a step forward in his on-field performance to some degree in 2023, just like the other members of the 2022 class. Health and playing time will be key determining factors of that level of jump, but a healthy, confident Leal should see an uptick in production in Year Two.
