Steelers' second-year player isn't getting the attention he deserves
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a variety of names to choose from when it comes to second-year players most capable of "breaking out." There are obvious choices like QB Kenny Pickett and WR George Pickens, or sleeper candidates like WR Calvin Austin III and RB Jaylen Warren. But there's one player entering year two that you […]
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a variety of names to choose from when it comes to second-year players most capable of "breaking out."
There are obvious choices like QB Kenny Pickett and WR George Pickens, or sleeper candidates like WR Calvin Austin III and RB Jaylen Warren.
But there's one player entering year two that you need to start paying attention to:
DeMarvin Leal, DL
Leal was selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft by Pittsburgh, playing in 11 games with only two starts during his rookie campaign. Leal didn't generate a ton of production or optimism heading into this year but that was widely due to a misuse of his skillset following the T.J. Watt Injury:
“When I first got here my rookie year, it was focusing on strictly inside, but then T.J. got hurt, so I expanded to inside and out,” Leal told Nick Farabuagh of Steelers Now. “There’s just a difference in techniques. I wanted to get rid of that college, just get up the field mentality. On the edge there, I needed to get that speed stuff down, and win 4, 5, 0r 6 steps. I adjusted well. So, going into this offseason and knowing what to expect, I trained like I would be a tweener.”
Leal is seemingly embracing the "tweener" role, one that many viewed as a red flag in previous generations of evaluations.
A "tweener" is someone often too small to play one position but too big to play another, something Leal experienced coming out of college. But with his weight now stabilized at 290 pounds, he can fully embrace a role that speaks to versatility.
“I feel like I can play from a 3-technique out to a 9-technique,” Leal said. “You know, I’m here and I know what to expect now. My training didn’t change much, sticking in that tweener role, I know what to expect. Honestly, I just want to be a weapon out there.”
And if Leal is used accordingly, a tweener role may just lead to him being the breakout sophomore that we talk about come season's end.
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