DeMarvin Leal hasn’t had the start to his career that many expected when the Pittsburgh Steelers made him their third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. But by all accounts, he has taken a big step forward in his third season based on the developmental process in the offseason and preseason. The only issue is, he hasn’t gotten a chance to really show that improvement through the first three weeks of the season. That opportunity should come this week with OLB Alex Highsmith dealing with a groin injury.
Leal is listed as a defensive linemen, but he is also the team’s fourth outside linebacker, which makes him the top backup while Highsmith is out injured. Against a team that likes to run the ball a lot, that should earn him quite a few additional snaps in Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts.
Mike Tomlin discussed Leal’s multi-position versatility in an interview with Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola this morning.
“He’s a uniquely talented ‘big.’ He’s got good body control. He’s a good athlete. He can run,” Tomlin said via Labriola. “He’s also one of the few defensive linemen who’s on the kickoff unit, and that speaks to what makes him an interesting animal.
“…That just speaks to his versatility. The more that you can do is something that we value. Here’s a guy who’s capable of playing D-line, he’s capable of playing outside linebacker. He makes us big and strong in run circumstances when he’s playing that position. He makes us really athletic in passing circumstances when he’s rushing over a guard as a defensive lineman. And so those hybrid, talented athletes really help you. LaMarr Woodley was like that, and that’s who DeMarvin kind of reminded me of.”
That is obviously a lofty comparison for Leal, who has accomplished very little through the first two seasons of his career, but it speaks to the type of athlete he is overall. Woodley was an outside linebacker, but he was listed at 6-2, 265 pounds. He was a little oversized for your typical OLB, but the Steelers used his unique athleticism on the edge for seven seasons on his way to 57 regular season sacks, and one of the most dominant playoff runs for a defender of all time.
Leal is listed at 6-4, 290 pounds, and reportedly showed up to camp in the best shape of his life after reports of being out of shape the same time last year. He is way oversized for the edge, but his unique athleticism allows him to flex out when needed.
Nick Herbig, who is listed at 6-2, 240 pounds, is a little light for your typical edge defender. He has consistently proven that is not an issue, but he has also never been challenged with setting the edge as a starter over the course of a full game against one of the best offensive lines in the league. As Tomlin mentioned with Leal making them big and strong in run circumstances, it is likely that Leal gets quite a few snaps in this Week 4 game against the Colts.
Let’s hope DeMarvin Leal shows a little bit of that LaMarr Woodley comparison that Tomlin mentioned.
