Tag: DeMarvin Leal

Texans should keep an eye on Texas A&M DE DeMarvin Leal in 2022 NFL draft

The Houston Texans need help everywhere, and Texas A&M DE DeMarvin Leal would help the pass rush if he declared for the 2022 NFL draft.

If the Houston Texans only win four games in a 17-game schedule, as they are projected to do in 2021, they should assuredly land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

With that premium selection also comes the trickle-down for Houston to take first-round talent that may have fallen early in the second round.

One player from the collegiate ranks the Texans should monitor throughout the 2021 season is Texas A&M defensive end DeMarvin Leal. The Converse Judson High School product is entering his junior year with the Aggies, and is the third-ranked returning edge defender going in 2021, according to Pro Football Focus.

Leal has a lot of power with his 6-foot-4, 290-pound frame, and it showed routinely this past season. He notched an 80.0-plus grade as both a run defender and a pass rusher in 2020, something only four other Power Five edge defenders accomplished this past year. Leal displayed improved hand usage and a deadly push-pull. He flashed exactly that in his performance against Florida, earning a career-high PFF grade.

Leal was a consistent performer in 2020 with a single-game PFF grade north of 70.0 in nine of his 10 outings, which led to an 88.3 PFF grade for the season. He may be 290 pounds, but he sure doesn’t play like it with his athleticism and twitch. Needless to say, Leal is clearly living up to his five-star recruiting status.

If the Texans are still running the Tampa-2 scheme with a 4-3 base under Lovie Smith in 2022, they will need a down lineman that get get after the passer and also play the run. Leal would have the ability to upgrade the defensive end position beyond what the Texans are going to get in 2021 out of Jacob Martin and Whitney Mercilus, two former outside linebackers. While the Texans may address quarterback with their first-round selection, they need to find someone who can harass opposing passers with their second-round pick.

Would DeMarvin Leal, Zion Nelson make sense for Giants in 2022?

An early look at the 2022 NFL draft and two prospects — DL DeMarvin Leal and OL Zion Nelson — already connected to the New York Giants.

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Now that the 2021 NFL draft has concluded, it’s time to focus on the 2022 NFL draft. We’re not kidding. Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling has published his “way too-early” 2022 mock draft, which we briefly touched on earlier this week.

The Giants, remember, have two first round picks next year, so here’s who he sees the Giants selecting.

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In Easterling’s mock draft, the Giants have the seventh overall pick and the Chicago Bears’ pick, which is No. 11.

With the seventh pick, the Giants take Texas A&M defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal. The 6-foot-4, 291 pound junior is expected to be a top 10 pick next April. He is considered a “hybrid” players can line up at any any position on the defensive line.

“He has an unbelievably competitive nature. When he’s on the field, I don’t ever see him loaf for one second,” Aggies head coach Jimbo Fisher said of Leal last October. “I don’t care what drill it is, what we’re doing or how we do it. Those kinds of guys change cultures of an organization because they’re great players, and they’re highly recruited players who play like they have no ability … with their effort and toughness.”

With the 11th pick, the Giants select Miami offensive tackle Zion Nelson, a 6-foot-5, 315 pound underclassman. Nelson played left tackle last season as a sophomore but will need this season in college to sure up his fundamentals.

“He’s just a freak of nature. Zion’s an incredibly gifted football player,” center Corey Gaynor said. “He’s got long arms. Think he’s big and strong, and I think he’s very twitchy. He’s everything you want out of a left tackle.”

A lot can happen between now and the 2022 NFL draft, but odds are the Giants will still need a quality offensive lineman by then. They also love their versatile defensive linemen, so both Leal and Nelson are worth watching this coming college season.

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Giants select DeMarvin Leal, Zion Nelson in early 2022 Draft Wire mock

In Draft Wire’s way-too-early 2022 mock, the New York Giants select DL DeMarvin Leal and OT Zion Nelson.

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The 2021 NFL draft has officially come and gone, so what better time than now to look ahead to the 2022 NFL draft?

That’s exactly what our friend Luke Easterling of Draft Wire did this week, offering up his “way-too-early 2022 NFL mock draft.” And for the New York Giants, who have two first-round picks thanks to a draft-day trade with the Chicago Bears, they go heavy on the hog mollies.

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With an order determined by the current Super Bowl odds, the Giants are slated to select at No. 7 overall and No. 11 overall.

With their first projected pick, Big Blue selects Texas A&M defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal, who 247Sports has rated as a top prospect in 2022.

Leal is one of the more intriguing defensive prospects in the 2022 draft cycle thanks to his plus athletic ability, explosiveness off the ball and his versatility. Listed as a defensive end for Texas A&M’s front, the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Leal can capably play both inside and outside, generating pressure wherever he lines up. Leal rated as PFF College’s ninth-best EDGE rusher nationally a season ago, excelling as both a run defender and as a pass rusher. His 32 pressures ranked within the top 50 nationally of EDGE rushers as well despite playing in a system built around stopping the run.

Leal isn’t as big, but he features some of the traits that made Christian Wilkins such a dynamic player for Clemson a few years ago: Freakish athletic ability for his size, excellent against the run and dynamic when needed as a pass rusher be it with a speed or power move. In a deep EDGE class, Leal feels like one of the safer bets to go off the board in the first round.

With their second projected pick of the first-round, Draft Wire has the Giants selecting Miami offensive tackle Zion Nelson.

247Sports does not have Nelson rated among their top 10 2022 prospects, but did list the 6-foot-5, 310-pound lineman as an honorable mention.

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