DeMarvin Leal was the Steelers' lone NFL Draft effort to replenish their defensive line, a unit with its three top players in Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt and Tyson Alualu being at an average age of 32 years old. Kevin Colbert's last draft class added a player in Leal whose college tape shows a talented pass rusher and athletic player who made a name for himself in the SEC. But Leal's tape is still a mixed bag between his ability to get after the quarterback and how he wasn't strong against the run.
After the Steelers finished with the NFL's worst run defense in 2021, fixing that has to be part of the plan for 2022. But Leal's skillset may make him more of a long term answer as a starter for the group who contributes more as an rotational interior pass rusher in his first years as he adapts to the NFL.
Leal's build as a defensive lineman at 6-foot-3, 283 lbs. with 33.25-inch arms make him a good size for a defensive lineman with long arms, but his athletic profile is what boosted his resume beyond that. Leal ran a 5.0-second 40-yard dash was sixth-best among a very athletic defensive tackle class and his agility was shown off with his 4.49-second time in the shuttle. That ability to change directions quickly back and forth and operate better in space than most defensive linemen led to Texas A&M deploying him all over the Aggies' defensive line.
Over 70 percent of Leal's snaps for the Aggies came with him lining up either over top of or outside the tackle of opposing offensive lines. While Leal's weight suggests he should line up more to the inside, his skillset made him a player the Aggies tried to get more alignment chances to get in the backfield.
Watch this quick footwork he put on against Mississippi State last year when he came out of his stance and spin into the interior gap to chase after the quarterback and bring him down:
Leal is quick, agile and loves to deploy his spin move to confuse offensive linemen and beat their hand punches.
If you watch Leal over the years, he constantly worked on his spin move. It was part of his arsenal early on when he started playing in 2019, but it wasn't reformed and often wasted space and time while not being effective for his assignment.
But as he gained more experience, that spin move got sharper and his awareness of when and how to use it helped the Aggies more and more. Watch this spin move he put on the edge to get his outside shoulder free, but how patient he was with it once he felt the play out. Leal sensed the running back leaking out to the flat and waited for the pass to come his way so he could use his long arms to bat it down:
Leal's ability to line up around the defensive front along with his quickness and pass rush moves make him an interesting prospect for the Steelers moving forward.
The Steelers have led the NFL in sacks for five straight seasons and with Tuitt, Alualu and Heyward all being on the back-end of their careers, the future of the defensive line could need some newly talented pass rushers. Being 21 years old would give him plenty of time to further hone those skills before the Steelers would need him to be a highly talented pass rusher on the defensive line, provided that Tuitt can return to full health sooner rather than later and both Alualu and Heyward remain healthy.
But where Leal needs the most improvement is against the run. His limited 17 bench press reps during his pro day is on the low-end for defensive linemen coming into the NFL and an example of his lack of strength at the point of attack. The Steelers will need to either see Leal take major leaps in his run defense or find a way to limit his snaps against the run in 2022.
Watch this rushing attempt from Mississippi State in 2021 when Leal had to take on a chip block from the tackle as the guard engaged him. But when he engaged the guard, Leal was unable to move the line of scrimmage backwards and that allowed the running back to pick between the inside hole and the edge. While defensive help could've done more to help Leal by pushing the run back towards the inside, Leal's inability to get real push also played a factor in letting this run play break out:
That's where Leal's lack of pure strength and push at the point of attack becomes a liability, and would be a major problem in the Steelers' run defense.
But Leal isn't bereft of run defense skills entirely, as his quick feet and hands allow him to mitigate an opponent's strength. It took him time, but that helped him total a career high of 12.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks in 2021 as a junior.
Watch how Leal handles this attempted block from Emil Ekiyor of Alabama at the point of attack in the run game. Ekiyor got lazy and didn't attack with his hands, thinking he could overpower Leal on the play. But in doing so, Ekiyor allowed Leal's strengths to come into play. Leal used his hands to engage and shed his man to get into the backfield. That move didn't get the running back, but it spoiled a pull from Alabama's guard, effectively wiping out two offensive linemen so that the rest of his defense could clean up on the play:
That's the kind of work that can help the Steelers' linebackers like Devin Bush and Myles Jack remain clear to make plays against the run.
But plays like that from Leal won't come regularly until he further develops as a defensive lineman. Against more talented offensive lineman, like the seventh overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft in offensive tackle Evan Neal, Leal's finesse moves against the run won't have a higher percentage of success.
Watch how Neal bullied Leal along with a double team out on the edge to completely remove the Aggies' top defensive lineman from where Alabama's run play was intended. While losing to a double-team isn't the worst situation, you can see how Leal didn't have much of an answer for the double team where he could've at least tried to anchor down and hold the position to keep both blockers occupied in case help was coming from behind him:
That's the role Heyward, Alualu and Tuitt have played several times over the years when their run defense has been at its best.
But those run defense skills and strength at the point of attack are things that can be developed over time as Leal works more with defensive line coach Karl Dunbar to learn how to better fit his assignments with the Steelers. That doesn't eliminate how his pass rush skills come with a solid starting point entering the NFL, and could be something that becomes an asset as a rotational piece for the Steelers in 2022 until he grows into a more complete player.
