4 Steelers rookies that were steals in the 2022 NFL Draft
By Andrew Falce
Steelers DL Leal
Similar to Austin, DeMarvin Leal is a player that was undoubtedly a great value selection despite not having the best fit with this defense. Leal was once touted as a high first-round pick due to his dominance as an interior rusher. He was a sack machine at a major college program and the expectations are for him to have a similar role at the NFL level.
The issue with his game is his run defense, as he fails to get a consistent push there and can be entirely taken out of some run looks. This caused his draft stock to fall out of the first round, but most were surprised to see him available mid-way through the third round. Even if he never got better as a run stopper, Leal should be able to become a situational pass rusher from the interior of a line.
While the fit of Leal on this defense isn’t clear yet, you can’t argue against the value the team got in selecting him. He is a great security blanket in case Stephon Tuitt doesn’t play again, and he has the potential to develop into a good starter if his run defense gets better. Getting a player like that mid-way through the third round was a homerun.