DeMarvin Leal was 21 years old when the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him out of Texas A&M. Anybody who is that age still has a lot of growing up to do, and he reportedly was no exception. He even admitted during training camp this year to that very fact, noting his improved conditioning.
According to head coach Mike Tomlin, though, that says nothing about his character or who he is. “I don’t know that work ethic and conditioning has ever been an issue for him [DeMarvin Leal] developing skill and maturity”, he told reporters yesterday. “Remember, he was a young guy, third-year when we drafted him. So he’s got continually better, and there’s reason for us to expect that to continue”.
Leal himself, though, admitted to being in better shape this year than in the past. While he would not go so far as to say that he wasn’t previously conditioned, he realizes the obvious differences. And they appear to be reflected in his progress on the field.
The third-year veteran has been off to a good start so far during this training camp, pushing to keep his spot on the 53-man roster. The Steelers are deep along the defensive line this year, so Leal and several others are battling for their jobs. That includes another draft pick added to the room, sixth-round rookie Logan Lee.
Of course, the Steelers have only been practicing in shells so far, the pads coming on this week. Tomlin cautioned that any observations about Leal before that point are tentative at best. “You cannot gauge a whole lot, particularly as it pertains to defensive bigs until they are carrying their pads”.
A former third-round draft pick in 2022, DeMarvin Leal has played in 23 career games, starting six. He has 29 career tackles, including three for loss with one sack, two hits, and four passes defensed. But he had been trending in the wrong direction, fueling speculation about his future.
In fact, the Steelers left Leal inactive for five of the final six games of the 2023 season, postseason included. He never logged double-digit snaps in any game after Cameron Heyward returned from injury, losing favor to Isaiahh Loudermilk.
This offseason, the Steelers signed veteran Dean Lowry to serve as the top rotational defensive end and re-signed Montravius Adams. With Cameron Heyward, Keeanu Benton, and Larry Ogunjobi in the starting lineup, opportunities are scarce.
DeMarvin Leal could be competing with Loudermiilk, Lee, and Breiden Fehoko for just one roster spot, perhaps two. He will have to prove, especially when the pads come on, that he is an adult now and can handle his business accordingly.
