What is the Steelers plan for third-round DL DeMarvin Leal?

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a certain type of defensive lineman they look for in the NFL Draft. Here’s what their plan could be for DeMarvin Leal.

Every time the Steelers are on the clock during the NFL Draft, I always voice my opinion both to my draft buddies and on social media as to whom I would like Pittsburgh to select. I’ve been doing this for several years now.

This year was somewhat remarkable the way things worked out. While I wasn’t a Kenny Pickett advocate in round one, I genuinely loved the next three selections that Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert made in the draft. In fact, I was banging the table and voicing my thoughts for each of them.

When Pittsburgh was on the clock in the third round, it was DL DeMarvin Leal or LB Leo Chenal that I wanted to see in the black and gold. Here’s my tweet as the Steelers were on the clock with the 84th overall pick:

DeMarvin Leal ultimately become the selection, and I was very pleased. After scouting hundreds of players over the past three months, Leal was one of the players I really liked as a prospect and it was easy to see why he once drew buzz as a potential top-five pick.

On my NFL draft board, Leal was my 55th-ranked player. He was similarly ranked on the NFL consensus board (57th overall), Yet the Steelers were able to steal him with the 84th overall pick.

However, when the pick was announced, some fans didn’t exactly seem thrilled as they took to social media. Leal was primarily an edge defender at Texas A&M with tweener size. On top of that, he didn’t test particularly well at the NFL Combine.

How Steelers may use DeMarvin Leal

Obviously, I don’t have all the answers yet, but I feel like I have a very good idea as to how the Steelers intend to use DeMarvin Leal based on his skillset and their history of drafting similar players. Let’s start with the former.

Leal measured in at 6’3 7/8” and 283 pounds at the NFL Combine, and his 5.00 40-yard dash was nothing to write home about. Simply looking at these numbers, he has the appearance of a player who is stuck between positions — and not in a good way. However, if you examine a bit further, his role becomes a little clearer.

As a full-time edge defender, Leal is bigger than most teams would want and certainly slower as well. Though this was largely his role in college, it won’t be in the NFL. Leal projects much better as an interior defender.

Leal is a bit light at 283, but his listed playing weight in college was 290 pounds. He has the frame to add more as well, as Leal is nearly 6’4” with an impressive 80 3/8” wingspan. This is still more length than highly-drafted offensive tackles over the past few years like Samuel Cosmi, Andre Dillard, Dillon Radunz, Liam Eichenberg, and Rashawn Slater.

Because of his height and length, my guess is the Steelers will try to transition Leal into a 5-technique in the NFL — much like Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt.

Going way back to Tuitt’s and Heyward’s college days, they both played similar roles. Both were oversized base defensive ends who did most of their work outside the formation. This was despite their size and length. However, the Steelers saw how they would be excellent fits in their scheme. Both made the transition to 5-tech for Pittsburgh.

Leal won’t be limited to this role. The 5-technique is the base defensive end used in an odd front, but the Steelers run more nickel formations than ever before. When they do, Leal can play the 3-tech position that relies on quickness and pass rush moves to get after the quarterback from the interior — much like Javon Hargrave used to do for Pittsburgh.

I’m extremely excited about the versatility and depth DeMarvin Leal will add to the Steelers defensive line. Leal has SEC production to go with remarkable bend and burst. He also just turned 21 years old. This is a high-floor, high-upside pick for Pittsburgh, and I’m excited to watch the full plan for Leal unfold.