DeMarvin Leal hasn’t had the begin to his profession that many anticipated when the Pittsburgh Steelers made him their third-round decide within the 2022 NFL Draft. However by all accounts, he has taken a giant step ahead in his third season primarily based on the developmental course of within the offseason and preseason. The one challenge is, he hasn’t gotten an opportunity to essentially present that enchancment by way of the primary three weeks of the season. That chance ought to come this week with OLB Alex Highsmith coping with a groin damage.
Leal is listed as a defensive linemen, however he’s additionally the group’s fourth outdoors linebacker, which makes him the highest backup whereas Highsmith is out injured. Towards a group that likes to run the ball quite a bit, that ought to earn him fairly just a few extra snaps in Week 4 towards the Indianapolis Colts.
Mike Tomlin mentioned Leal’s multi-position versatility in an interview with Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola this morning.
“He’s a uniquely gifted ‘huge.’ He’s obtained good physique management. He’s a great athlete. He can run,” Tomlin mentioned by way of Labriola. “He’s additionally one of many few defensive linemen who’s on the kickoff unit, and that speaks to what makes him an attention-grabbing animal.
“…That simply speaks to his versatility. The extra that you are able to do is one thing that we worth. Right here’s a man who’s able to enjoying D-line, he’s able to enjoying outdoors linebacker. He makes us huge and robust in run circumstances when he’s enjoying that place. He makes us actually athletic in passing circumstances when he’s speeding over a guard as a defensive lineman. And so these hybrid, gifted athletes actually make it easier to. LaMarr Woodley was like that, and that’s who DeMarvin sort of jogged my memory of.”
That’s clearly a lofty comparability for Leal, who has completed little or no by way of the primary two seasons of his profession, however it speaks to the kind of athlete he’s total. Woodley was an out of doors linebacker, however he was listed at 6-2, 265 kilos. He was a bit of outsized in your typical OLB, however the Steelers used his distinctive athleticism on the sting for seven seasons on his method to 57 common season sacks, and some of the dominant playoff runs for a defender of all time.
Leal is listed at 6-4, 290 kilos, and reportedly confirmed as much as camp in the perfect form of his life after reviews of being out of practice the identical time final 12 months. He’s means outsized for the sting, however his distinctive athleticism permits him to flex out when wanted.
Nick Herbig, who’s listed at 6-2, 240 kilos, is a bit of mild in your typical edge defender. He has constantly confirmed that’s not a problem, however he has additionally by no means been challenged with setting the sting as a starter over the course of a full recreation towards probably the greatest offensive strains within the league. As Tomlin talked about with Leal making them huge and robust in run circumstances, it’s possible that Leal will get fairly just a few snaps on this Week 4 recreation towards the Colts.
Let’s hope DeMarvin Leal exhibits a bit of little bit of that LaMarr Woodley comparability that Tomlin talked about.