DeMarvin Leal – Syndication Server

Steelers player most poised to have a ‘true breakout’ season in 2024

It’s that time of year when fans are searching for a player who could have a breakout season for their respective team.

The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly believes that player for the Pittsburgh Steelers could be defensive end DeMarvin Leal.

There aren’t many options for a true “breakout” player. I’ll go with DeMarvin Leal. He showed so much promise in his rookie year and so little in his second year. I think he can be a good player but will need to work to just get an opportunity at this point.

Leal did not make that critical second-year leap that Mike Tomlin expects from his players. If anything, he took a step back.

Pittsburgh has yet to find a franchise replacement for Stephon Tuitt and Leal could still be that guy. But he has to have a big offseason to get there.

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Steelers HC Mike Tomlin puts DeMarvin Leal on notice

Steelers DL DeMarvin Leal has failed to impress Mike Tomlin in limited showings.

The final draft class from former general manager Kevin Colbert is shaping up to be a real dud.

While George Pickens has a lot of growing up to do, he’s clearly the most immediately talented player of the 2022 crop. Many Pittsburgh Steelers fans feel Kenny Pickett was a miss and Connor Heyward and Calvin Austin III have only shown flashes.

But DeMarvin Leal, a defensive lineman out of Texas A&M, has failed to impress in limited showings.

Mike Tomlin said the opportunity to contribute in the future isn’t off the table, but he has to put in the work and earn it. Expectations were high for Leal coming into his second season, but results never materialized.

“There certainly is, but he’s got to be a component of that,” Tomlin said of plans to get him more involved. “Obviously, we put helmets on guys that we think are best positioned to help us secure victory, and he hadn’t been a component of that, and so he’s got some work to do.”

Leal was a healthy scratch for seven of their 17 games this season.

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Steelers DL MeMarvin Leal clears concussion protocol

The Steelers are nearing full strength on the defensive line.

The best part of having an early bye week is it has allowed the Pittsburgh Steelers to work past the rash of injuries the team got early on. The Steelers had a long list of guys out in Week Five against the Baltimore Ravens but the team appears to be getting most of them back including starting defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal.

Leal is listed as a co-starting defensive tackle with rookie Keeanu Benton. Leal missed the Steelers last game while he was in the concussion protocol but on Monday the team got back to work with him cleared.

Steelers defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal has cleared concussion protocol.

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 16, 2023

The Steelers defensive line took a huge hit we Cam Heyward on IR. Leal provided some push on the outside but it is clear that Benton is the future of the position. Nevertheless, the Steelers can never have enough healthy defensive linemen this week.

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Secret Superstars for Week 1 of the 2022 NFL preseason

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar has scoured preseason tape, and here are his Secret Superstars for Week 1 of this NFL preseason.

Those party-poopers who tell you that “It’s only the preseason” have never tried to make an NFL team, or grab a starting role, by the skin of their teeth. For more players than not, the three-game stretch before the regular season begins is their best way to prove that they belong on an NFL roster once things get “real.”

Now that Week 1 of the 2022 preseason is in the books, here are the players we think have done the most to create — or enhance — those favorable impressions when they matter the most.

The players on this list are not the obvious names — there are no first-rounders, or players who came into the new season with advanced amounts of hype based on their collegiate or previous NFL exploits. These guys are either trying to stake their claims, or save their careers.

So, let’s take a look at the Secret Superstars of Week 1 of the 2022 NFL preseason.

(All metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus unless otherwise indicated).

NFL Preseason Week 1: Where to watch the Texas A&M rookie debuts

Football season is finally here! With the 2022 college football season starting in 15 days, and Texas A&M kicking off their season on September 3rd, the NFL Preseason Week 1 is officially upon us. Let’s take a short trip back to late April during the 2022 NFL Draft, as four former Aggies were taken in the 1st, 3rd, and 4th rounds, while several notable players were signed as undrafted free agents days after the conclusion of the draft. Here are the players drafted this year, and those ready to make their NFL debut this weekend:

Round 1, Pick 15 for the Houston Texans: Guard, Kenyon Green.
Round 3, Pick 84 for the Pittsburgh Steelers: Defensive lineman, DeMarvin Leal
Round 4, Pick 117 for the New York Jets: Defensive end, Micheal Clemons
Round 4, Pick 123 for the Los Angeles Chargers: Running back, Isaiah Spiller
UDFA for the Tennessee Titans: Defensive lineman, Jayden Peevy,
UDFA for the Pittsburgh Steelers: Defensive end, Tyree Johnson (recently cut)
UDFA for the San Franciso 49ers: Safety, Leon O’Neal (recently cut)
UDFA for the Dallas Cowboys: Linebacker, Aaron Hansford (recently cut)
UDFA for the Green Bay Packers; Offensive lineman, Jahmir Johnson (early cut)

Look for Green, Leal, Clemson, and Spiller to shine as they look to earn their spot with the franchise that took a chance on them, continuing to show the toughness and relentless workmanship developed during their time at Texas A&M. Now, here is the game, place, and time each player will be appearing in this weekend.

DeMarvin Leal selected 84th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2022 NFL draft

Former Texas A&M Defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal was selected 84th overall in the 3rd round of the 2022 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. As a projected “tweener” in the NFL, Leal can play in multiple fronts, with the ability to switch from 3 technique to defensive end on any given down due to his size, quickness, and play strength. Like his fellow teammate and current Houston Texan Kenyon Green, he is one of the most versatile players this draft had to offer.

With the 84th pick in the #NFLDraft, we select DL DeMarvin Leal. #SteelersDraft pic.twitter.com/agXArykZk3

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 30, 2022

With three years of SEC experience, while playing against some of the best linemen the country had to offer, there’s no doubt that DeMarvin is ready for the challenges ahead of him that pro football presents as he becomes a member of the black and gold.

Standing at 6-4 and 283 pounds, Leal is very disciplined at the line of scrimmage, and is a connoisseur of the “push and pull” technique, using his massive upper body to break through a lineman’s initial punch and quickly make his way into the backfield, or simply take advantage of a blocker who’s late off the snap count, bulldozing them to disrupt and quarterback rhythm. With the potential to develop into a full time defensive tackle after adding weight to his frame while keeping the option open to provide some pass rush ability on the outside, he gives newly minted Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin a lot to work with for years to come.

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The perfect (slight hyperbole) day 2 Browns mock draft does exist

The Browns have three picks on day two of the NFL draft and this mock draft is close to perfection for those picks:

The NFL draft had a chaotic first night. It fits the chaotic offseason that has been seen all over the NFL this year including a number of trades, a couple of veteran receivers on the move and only one quarterback taken in the first round.

The AFC North had a few pieces of those significant moves. Pittsburgh selected the only quarterback, Baltimore seemingly upset their franchise quarterback and Cincinnati seemed to select a replacement for one of their best, young defenders after franchise tagging him.

The Cleveland Browns get to be involved as night two rolls around. After trading their first-round pick, which exchanged hands again on Thursday, Andrew Berry and company currently have a selection in the second round and two in the third round.

While mock drafts can be mocked (pun intended) quite often, they are a fun way to think about scenarios, learn about players and get hopes up of how things can go for a team or players. This day two mock draft is as close to perfect from top to bottom as possible. While it may not have the exact players you want, the three selections add together to put Cleveland in a great situation:

2022 NFL draft: Which A&M players are waiting to hear their name called?

The first day and first round of the 2022 NFL draft are officially over, with 32 men hearing their names called and ready to start their professional football careers. For Texas A&M, offensive lineman Kenyon Green became the first of hopefully a number of Aggies drafted, selected 15th overall by the Houston Texans, staying close to home and looking to make an impact right away.

With seven other Aggies looking to be drafted on day two and day three, teams will be eyeing areas of need to supplement their rosters, and with this being one of the more talented A&M draft classes, teams will be getting a steal in later rounds, as we see every year after the first round concludes. Let’s see who’s left before the second and third rounds begin.

2022 NFL draft: The best players left after the first round

From Malik Willis to Jaquan Brisker, here are the best players left on the boards after the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Players who have to wait around after the first round to hear their names called in the draft are by no means limited in their NFL potential. Since 2000 alone, the list of second- and third-rounders reads like a Hall of Fame buffet years from now: Drew Brees, Bobby Wagner, Steve Smith Sr., Andrew Whitworth, Marshal Yanda, Rob Gronkowski, Lavonte David, and on and on.

Take the view back a few decades, and you’ll see second- and third-rounders like Joe Montana, Dan Fouts, Mike Singletary, Michael Strahan, Ken Anderson, Terrell Owens, Aeneas Williams, Thurman Thomas, Kevin Mawae, Brian Dawkins, Larry Allen, and Mel Blount.

Those are all Hall of Famers, except for Ken Anderson, who should be.

The point is, there’s just about as much of a hit rate in the second and third rounds as there is a bust rate in the later rounds. So, when we get to the players who didn’t hear their names in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, it doesn’t mean at all that these guys won’t be NFL stars — in fact, there’s no barrier to future stardom at all.

Based on our evaluations here at Touchdown Wire, here are the best prospects left on the board after the first round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Best NFL Draft fits for DeMarvin Leal

Where are the ideal destinations for DeMarvin Leal in this weekends NFL draft?

The NFL draft is merely days away, and with the football futures of several former Aggies standouts being determined this weekend, AggiesWire will look at where each prospect might fit the best based on the area of the draft where they are likely to be selected, and the needs of teams across the league.

The next prospect we’re going to examine is defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal. At one point, Leal was considered someone who could be drafted in the top half of the first round, but some inconsistency his final year in College Station, and a subpar athletic testing performance have pushed Leal’s stock into what will likely be a 2nd or 3rd round pick.

So which teams could be looking for a player like Leal on day 2 of the draft?