2022 NFL Draft Scouting Report: DeMarvin Leal

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DeMarvin Leal, 6-4/290 Defensive Tackle Texas A&M

DeMarvin Leal Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Dangerous interior pass rusher

Quick at the point of attack

Good first-step, get-off

Can fire his gap to create penetration, disruption

Can fight through blocks as a pass rusher

Versatile

Can rush off the edge or inside

Speed to close

Excellent instincts as a run defender

Has experience lining up at a variety of spots

Agile

Fluid athlete

Successful against good competition

Ready to contribute

Weaknesses:

Will have issues as a run defender playing inside in the NFL

Not powerful

Not sudden

Teams can run at him

Should improve downhill run defense

Could be limited to pass-rush packages in the early going of his career

Some team sources say Leal has sort of a bad body

Summary: In recent years, Texas A&M has produced some good athletes on the defensive line, including Myles Garrett and Justin Madibuike. Leal worked his way onto the field as a freshman, recording 38 tackles with two sacks. As a sophomore, he had 37 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one interception. He really came on in the second half of the season. In 2021, Leal totaled 58 tackles, 8.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two passes defended. He decided to skip the Gator Bowl to prepare for the pre-draft workouts.

Leal shows excellent instincts in run defense, and that helps him cause disruption at the point of attack. He quickly recognizes and diagnoses plays to get in position to disrupt runs and help his teammates limit carries. Leal struggles at holding his ground on the inside, where guards are able to get a push on him, and Leal has a serious lack of power. He needs to get stronger for the pros to hold his ground and not get pushed out of his gap consistently.

In the pass rush, Leal is a real threat on the interior. He has a quick first-step, and his ablity to fire his gap to work upfield. With nice agility and fluidity, Leal is a slippery rusher on the inside, and offensive linemen often struggle to get a firm hold of him. If Leal gets stronger, that would help him to shed blocks, but he could be a valuable interior pass rusher in the NFL.



Infinitely more important than the opinion of a draft analyst is what NFL teams think of Leal. Here is what a survey of sources said about Leal.

“He’ll probably go in the second,” said a director of player personnel. “I love his ability to rush the passer, and he’s instinctive versus the run. But I have my struggles with him. I think he’s going to have issues early on playing the run inside. And he has sort of a bad body. Feels like more of a package guy early on.”

“I don’t see a high first-rounder with Leal,” said a national scout. “He’s not powerful or sudden, but he’s agile and fluid. He will struggle inside.”

“I have some concerns with Leal,” said an area scout. “He’s really a three-technique who thinks he’s a defensive end. The interior stuff isn’t great though, which bothers me with the vision as to how productive a pro he’ll be. Leal got walked like a dog versus Alabama playing inside. He similarly sees himself as a 4-3 defensive end. He doesn’t want to play inside. That’s the knock. He’ll do it, but mentality wise, he doesn’t see himself there. Those guys always struggle in the league because that’s where he’s going to have to make his money. He’s not explosive or powerful enough to stand on the edge. Cam Jordan is his size and a hell of a lot longer, more violent, and was a 4.69 guy at that size. Leal is really a 1.5-year producer.”

Leal looks like a late first-round or early second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.



Player Comparison: DaQuan Bowers Some team sources said Leal is like Bowers in that he should be a three-technique but is more of a defensive end. Bowers was a second-round pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, and Leal could be a second-rounder this year.

2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2022 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Adam Anderson, OLB, Georgia Calvin Austin, WR, Memphis Tyler Badie, RB, Missouri Amaré Barno, OLB, Virginia Tech Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson David Bell, WR, Purdue Nik Bonitto, OLB, Oklahoma Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State Treylon Burks, WR, Arkansas Zachary Carter, DE, Florida Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin Lewis Cine, S, Georgia Damone Clark, LB, LSU Micheal Clemons, DE, Texas A&M Bryan Cook, S, Cincinnati James Cook, RB, Georgia Yusuf Corker, S, Kentucky Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State Nick Cross, S, Maryland Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA Arnold Ebiketie, DE, Penn State Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida Ikem Ekwonu, OT, N.C. State Martin Emerson, CB, Mississippi State Kingsley Enagbare, DE, South Carolina Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota Luke Fortner, C, Kentucky Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, CB, Cincinnati Luke Goedeke, G, Central Michigan Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington Kenyon Green, G, Texas A&M Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State Logan Hall, DE, Houston Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame Christian Harris, LB, Alabama Daxton Hill, S, Michigan Chasen Hines, G, LSU Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan Ed Ingram, G, LSU Drake Jackson, DE, USC Jermaine Johnson, DE, Florida State Zion Johnson, G, Boston College Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut Kerby Joseph, S, Illinois Cam Jurgens, C, Nebraska George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue Darian Kinnard, OT, Kentucky Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State DeMarvin Leal, DT, Texas A&M Isaiah Likely, TE, Coastal Carolina Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah Drake London, WR, USC Abraham Lucas, OT, Washington State Boye Mafe, DE, Minnesota Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington Verone McKinley, S, Oregon John Metchie, WR, Alabama Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming David Ojabo, DE, Michigan Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State Cade Otton, TE, Washington Evan Neal, OT, Alabama Josh Paschal, DE, Kentucky Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa Nick Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State George Pickens, WR, Georgia Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati Dameon Pierce, RB, Florida Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor Brock Purdy, QB, Iowa State Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati John Ridgeway, DT, Arkansas Brian Robinson, RB, Alabama Wan'Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State Jamaree Salyer, G, Georgia Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa Isaiah Spiller, RB, Texas A&M Derek Stingley, CB, LSU Kayvon Thibodeaux, DE, Oregon Cameron Thomas, DE, San Diego State Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor Kenneth Walker, RB, Michigan State Rasheed Walker, OT, Penn State Quay Walker, LB, Georgia Travon Walker, DE, Georgia Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State Zamir White, RB, Georgia Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama Malik Willis, QB, Liberty Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia Jalen Wydermyer, TE, Texas A&M

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