Initial grades for all 7 of the Steelers 2022 draft picks

Steelers pick 84

Grade: B+

From a value standpoint alone, DeMarvin Leal was seen as a late first-round pick to mid-second-round pick by most. While his 2021 season didn’t live up to some of the hype that he had going into the year, Leal is still an accomplished pass rusher from the interior. He joins a relatively deep line that still has some question marks as to who will play where.

As stated, Leal’s path to NFL success is as an interior rusher. He has a good first step and is aggressive with his hands. He uses a variety of moves to beat interior lineman and get to the quarterback. The opposite is true as a run defender, as he can often get bullied out of the play. He doesn’t play with a lot of power, thus his ability to anchor against the run is almost nonexistent.

He also has a weird size for a Steelers lineman. His height and reach would make him a better fit at nose tackle, but his lack of run defense would make him a poor fit there. Ultimately, I think you can develop a sub-package pass-rushing interior lineman. I don’t think he will ever be a traditional starter, but he can play 60-75 percent of the snaps over a season and be an effective pass rusher on top of it.