Estimating the impact each Pittsburgh Steelers rookie will have in 2022

DeMarvin Leal: Low impact

I really liked the DeMarvin Leal selection for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, he was the player I was banging the table for when we were on the clock with the 84th overall pick in the third round.

I had Leal as the 57th overall player entering the 2022 NFL Draft, and I think the Steelers got a steal of a deal here. Leal wasn’t an elite tester, but he possesses remarkable bend and movement skills for a player his size.

Sadly, I think Leal will have a relatively low impact as a rookie. The talented defensive lineman will make a transition from a base edge defender to an interior defender for the Steelers, and this might not come easy for the 21-year-old.

We saw both Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt transition in similar ways from college to the NFL and as good as they were coming out, it took them a while before they made their mark. With a pretty deep defensive line, I think Leal plays a pretty small role on defense in 2022.