The Pittsburgh Steelers had a vision for DeMarvin Leal when the team drafted him out of Texas A&M in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. That plan got thrown out of the window when T.J. Watt got injured and it resulted in the team accelerating the plans they had for Leal.
When Leal first arrived in Pittsburgh, the vision was to start him out on the inside while slowly incorporating him on the outside of the defensive line. While it appeared like a sound plan, it may have tampered with Leal’s development as he took a step back in 2023.
Leal credited his struggles to poor conditioning and bad technique. These are the two things that Leal went to work on in the offseason to fix.
“Technique, just working on my technique,” Leal told Christopher Carter of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Making sure that I come back in better shape than I did last year and just making sure I’m technically sound. Feel like that’s the biggest thing coming off of this second year. Technique I feel is what was my downfall. So made sure I got with some defensive line coaches. Got together, and just came up with a plan and got to it.”
Leal came out of Texas A&M measuring at 6-foot-3, 283 pounds. Now he sits at 290 pounds but looks slim. He is a classic “tweener” in a 3-4 defensive scheme. While he has the frame and speed that you would like for a defensive end, he needs to put it all together to become a complete player. His biggest goal for the 2024 season is to prove the doubters wrong and prove himself right.
“Just prove it to myself before anybody else, that is my biggest goal this year” Leal said. “I need to make sure that I can do every single thing that they need me to and then accomplish it.”
If Leal can live up to the expectations that the Steelers had for him when they drafted him, it would complete the defensive line and he knows that.
“Everybody on this defensive line, we all have our little techniques and abilities but at the end of the day whenever we come together, we are going to do our thing,” Leal said.
Regardless, Leal will have to prove himself to the coaches in training camp after he fell out of their favor in 2023. While his roster spot is definitely not in jeopardy, if he wants to get an extension from the team in the next year or two, he will need to contribute more in 2024.
98 • DeMarvin Leal, Defensive End, Texas A&M
6-foot-4, 290 pounds, 24 years old, 3rd Season
Acquired: The Steelers drafted DeMarvin Leal with the 84th overall pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Last Season: After flashing signs of greatness as a rookie, DeMarvin Leal took a step down in 2023. Leal appeared in 12 games but only recorded 15 combined tackles. After Week 10, Leal only logged 10 more snaps on the entire year despite being healthy.
Career: In DeMarvin Leal’s rookie season, he appeared in 11 games and started in two of them. He made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals and his first NFL start in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills. The Steelers used Leal all across the defensive line and even slotted him in as an outside linebacker at times in 2022. Leal was injured in the Week 5 matchup with the Bills and was out on the injured list until his return in Week 13.
In 175 defensive snaps, Leal made 14 combined tackles, pressured the quarterback three times, and defended three passes.
| Year | GP | GS | Tackles | Sacks | PFF Rating |
| 2022 | 11 | 2 | 14 | 0.0 | 46.0 |
| 2023 | 12 | 4 | 15 | 1.0 | 47.5 |
College: Coming out of high school as an All-American, DeMarvin Leal committed to Texas A&M University to play his collegiate football. As a true freshman in 2019, Leal appeared in 13 games and logged seven starts on the defensive line. He finished the season with 38 combined tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks. Following the season, the team presented Leal as the top newcomer on defense.
In 2020, earned the team’s defensive MVP honors as he started all 10 games and recorded 37 combined tackles, seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception, four passes defended, and one forced fumble.
As a junior, Leal really took his level of play to the next level. He started all 12 games for the Aggies and notched a career-high 57 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 8.5 sacks. In addition, he added two passes defended and a forced fumble. Following the season, Leal was named All-SEC first team and Associated Press All-America first team. He was also a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award.
In total, Leal appeared in 35 games and logged 29 starts for Texas A&M. He tallied 132 total tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, one interception, six passes defended, and two forced fumbles.
| Year | GP | GS | Tackles | TFLs | Sacks | INTs | PDs | FFs |
| 2019 | 13 | 7 | 38 | 5.5 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 10 | 10 | 37 | 7.0 | 2.5 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2021 | 12 | 12 | 57 | 12.5 | 8.5 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Salary cap and future: DeMarvin Leal is entering the second year of his standard four-year rookie contract with the Steelers. He will cost $1.41 million against the Steelers’ 2024 cap space. His 2024 cap hit includes a $1.17 million base salary and a $238,072 bonus.
Leal is signed with the Steelers through the end of the 2025 season when he will become an unrestricted free agent.
