PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The last few drafts the Steelers have used their top picks to rebuild their offense. They did sneak a third round pick defensive player in 2022 that may be one of the sneaks of the draft.
Texas A&M defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal seemed like a smart pick for a team needing to get younger guys on the D-line, especially getting him in the third round. He was an AP First Team All-American and on almost every other All-American team. Leal was a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award for the nation’s top defensive end. He had 8.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, named the Texas A&M Defensive MVP.
“I feel like I fit perfectly,” Leal said after the first day of Steelers rookie camp. “Loving the system, just trying to learn it more and more, get more into detail with it. Feel like I’m in the right place.”
You wonder how a player with those stats in the SEC ended up in the third round. He was a Top 10 pick in mock drafts before the 2021 season began. He had a great year, why did he fall?
It was an arrest in December that apparently scared some teams off. He was busted for possessing less than two ounces of marijuana and it led to teams questioning his maturity. He also didn’t test well at the NFL Combine or Aggies Pro Day running a 5.0 40-yard dash, 27.5 vertical jump and 106 broad jump.
There is a question of which position he best fits on the defensive line. Is he an end? Can he be effective at tackle or even at the nose at 6’4”, 283 pounds. It’s led to many analysts saying he needs to add weight to fit into the Steelers plans. He alluded that he’s already started that process.
“He’s speculating if he thinks we want him to put on weight,” Tomlin said. “We are just getting to know him and his body and how it works. Often times in draft preparation guys hear things from NFL people and they try to do what they think we want. The reality is that we are trying to get to know the athlete, the pedigree of the athlete. How his body works? What is the optimal condition for him to be in? It would be much too premature to talk about desired weights with these guys because we are just getting to know them.”
Leal said he’s talked to a couple of the Steelers veterans including Cam Heyward and linebacker Alex Highsmith about the defense. Tuesday will be his first opportunity with those players. He’s been studying since he first got the playbook-the different stunts, movements and alignments of the Steelers defense to try and learn all of the positions. That in turn will allow the coaches to get a quicker evaluation of where Leal can help, if only in the short term.
“The opportunity is there, just have to take advantage of it,” Leal said. “Got to learn as much knowledge from the vets as possible and let it sink in and take it.”
He understands it won’t be handed to him.
The team isn’t saying if Stephon Tuitt will be a part of OTAs, or even the team this season. His immediate future will greatly impact Leal’s time. The development of now second-year 6’7”, 293-pound defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk, who played in 15 games last season starting two is a factor. Montravius Adams, 6’4”, 304 pounds, re-signed here after being picked up late last season and starting four of the five games he played with eight tackles (six solo). Veteran Chris Wormley will be the top back-up and throw in Henry Mondeaux, Daniel Archibong and the Davis brothers.
There is competition, but there is also opportunity. None of the players he’s battling with were as highly ranked out of high school or had that kind of success in college. USA Today, among others, ranks Leal as one of the steals of the draft. It’s now up to Leal to prove the Steelers right.
“It’s a blessing,” Leal said of joining the Steelers. “You dream about this all of your life. It’s a great welcoming and building a relationship with guys from everywhere.”
“(It’s time to) Just get out there and work.”