One bold prediction for each of the Steelers draft picks

Steelers Leal

A name that I have gone back and forth on in terms of being a great pick, Demarvin Leal has a lot of limitations, but he excels at rushing the quarterback. Once seen as a potential top-10 pick in this draft, Leal followed through with an excellent season at getting after the quarterback. His run defense, on the other hand, was horrible and caused his stock to fall in the draft.

That said, the Steelers can still get him involved during his rookie season. While he likely shouldn’t be playing much in base defense, he can be a good designated interior pass rusher early in his career. Especially if a player like Stephon Tuitt doesn’t return, the team can get Leal active during passing downs.

My bold prediction is this: Leal both plays more snaps than Isaiahh Loudermilk did as a rookie and he records more sacks than Chris Wormley did in 2021. The playing time will likely hinge on Tuitt and the overall health of this line, but the sack numbers would be impressive. Important to remember, is that there is already a lot of pass-rushing talent on this line, so Leal would likely have a lot of one-on-one opportunities to get home. He could have a sneakily productive rookie season.