DeMarvin Leal NFL Draft Overview
Position: Defensive lineman
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 283 pounds
School: Texas A&M
DeMarvin Leal 2022 NFL Draft Profile
Better. Faster. Stronger. When people hear this, they may think of the 1970’s hit series “The Six-Million Dollar Man.” But for those who were lucky enough to watch Texas A&M the last three years, college star DeMarvin Leal may come to mind instead. Leal forwent his senior season to test the NFL draft waters, and one lucky NFL team will benefit greatly from that decision.
He was the 16th ranked player in the country out of Judson High School in Converse, TX in the high school class of 2019. Leal ended his career with 133 tackles (59 solo), 25 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, one interception, six pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Leal’s impact on games left offensive coordinators in the SEC West and beyond up at night. Leal showed comfortability at every spot on the defensive line. He is strong as an ox, yes. However, Leal’s best attribute in college was his ability to force the offense to stay away from either his edge or gap assignment. In the Alabama game this past season, Leal was seen either unblocked on the backside or stymied by a double-team with a chip for a majority of the game. Even with that, he still found a way to get in on six assisted tackles and seven total tackles. That is a testament to his high motor and willingness to try to impact each play.
Strengths
- High motor, his feet never stop;
- Versatile and can make an impact from both sides of the line from either the tackle or edge spot;
- Smooth and bendy for a man his size;
- Commands double-teams both inside and outside;
- Strong as an ox;
- Patience with in-play-recognition/gap assignments;
- Instinctively puts hands up in passing lanes when rush does not reach the passer;
Weaknesses
- Does not have many counters if the first move does not work;
- Finds himself anchored by offensive linemen, allows hands inside too easily;
- Needs to use his hands better when disengaging from blockers;
- Has a unique frame that does not lend to him playing a true position; can be seen as a tweener.
Pro Comparison: Chris Jones
Teams with needs at the position: Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers
Projection: Possibly late in the first round or second round
His film was, of course, not perfect. He has to work on his ability to disengage from blockers. DeMarvin Leal engaged with offensive linemen for too long, allowing them to re-direct him. Also, he has to start coming to the line with a rush plan. At times he found himself to be lost when his initial move did not work, which caused him to have to throw up a hand as a last resort. However, Leal’s films against teams like Mississippi and Mississippi State were testaments to how dominant he can be. His ability to diagnose the play and peel off of double, and sometimes, triple-teams was necessary to Texas A&M’s success on defense.
An aspect of Leal’s game that was truly enjoyable was seeing his production from year to year. In 2019, Leal was very inexperienced but showed flashes of what was to come. In 2020, he was starting to come into his own and showed his dominance in games against Alabama, Vanderbilt, and LSU. All of that culminated in 2021 when he broke out for 12.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks over the season and forced offensive coordinators to gameplan away from him. Expect Leal to continue to get better at the next level as he continues to carve out his role on a defensive line.
Hello, Demarvin Leal.
pic.twitter.com/qZAdofMaFP— Nick Penticoff (@NickPenticoff) March 27, 2022
DeMarvin Leal. Animal. Eats up a Left Tackle and diagnoses the play for a TFL pic.twitter.com/sE4WqUf2Uw
— dr. jxke 🧸💎 (@cantguardjake) January 30, 2022
Main Photo
