The Steelers still went heavy with their offense in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft, giving them six-straight high-profile picks on that side of the ball the past two years.
Finally, in the third round on Friday night after taking quarterback Kenny Pickett and wide receiver George Pickens with their first two picks, they used a premium draft pick on defense, selecting Texas A&M defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal.
Leal, 6-foot-4, 283 pounds, was a three-year starter at Texas A&M. He blew up and led the team in sacks in 2021, recording 8.5 while playing multiple positions on the defensive line while earning second-team All-America status.
Overall, he had 13 sacks in 35 career games.
"He has some versatility, some flexibility," said Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. "We like his pass rush."
The Steelers envision him starting as a 3-4 defensive end, but will likely need to add some weight.
"I think he was probably playing at the weight he was because that's where they needed him at his school," said Austin.
The Steelers had a definite need on their defensive line after playing most of last season without end Stephon Tuitt and nose tackle Tyson Alualu.
With those two limited to just five quarters in 2021, the Steelers fell to last in the NFL in run defense, something the Steelers definitely want to fix.
But Leal is more polished as a pass rusher than as a run defender at this point, though he's not bad at both.
"We think he has an opportunity to be a good player for us when he gets in here," said Austin. "But he does offer some versatility, he’s got the frame to get a little bigger and he does some pass-rush wise and run-game-wise that we really like and value here."
The Steelers will obviously ask Leal to add some weight, but because of his versatility, he could wind up seeing time at both defensive end and inside in their nickel and dime defenses.
Leal is the third Texas A&M defensive player the Steelers have selected in the past two drafts. Last season, they took offensive tackle Dan Moore with the first of two picks in the fourth round -- after taking offensive players with their first three picks -- then selected linebacker Buddy Johnson with their second fourth-round pick.
Moore wound up starting 16 games at left tackle for the Steelers as a rookie.
"Me and Dan Moore Jr. go back to A&M going against each other," Leal said. "He taught me lots of things, not only this process but things outside of football, so that’s my guy."
They'll likely see a lot of each other in training camp again this year in one-on-one drills in certain situations.
The Steelers could eventually use Leal as he was at Texas A&M.
"He gets off, you see him pass rush. He’s actually so versatile," Austin said. "He'll play on the nose. He's played out in space. He’s played out on the edge, so he'll be able to do what we want. I don't think that's ever going to be an issue with this young man."
The selection of Leal marks the highest the Steelers have taken a defensive lineman in the draft since they picked Tuitt in the second round of the 2014 draft.
They traded up into the fifth round last season to take Isaiahh Loudermilk, and now have some young depth at the position, something that is needed with Alualu now 35, Cameron Heyward turning 33 next week and Tuitt at 29.
With the additions of Leal and Loudermilk, as well as re-signing of Montravius Adams, the Steelers' depth on the defensive line is much younger.
"It's important to continue to add because you add young depth, young legs and you have an opportunity to develop those guys and I think that's really important to add those young guys in there," Austin said. "I’m going to bring up a guy from last year Loudermilk. We got him and he really developed towards the end of the year and was playing and he's going to develop into being a nice player and I think that's why you always grab a young talented defensive lineman if you have an opportunity."
