DeMarvin Leal is a versatile defensive lineman for the Texas A&M Aggies, lining up all along the trenches in 2020 and dominating across the board. Look for Leal to continue his dominance in 2021 and solidify himself as a top pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. For now, let’s take a look at what makes him so good.
Strengths: Leal is an extremely versatile defensive tackle for Texas A&M who explodes off the line of scrimmage and into his opponents. In addition, he can line up on the edge, as a 1-tech or anywhere in between, as well as with his hand in the dirt or standing up. He is very strong and displays a great ability to dominate in 1-on-1 situations in both the pass and the run game. He is athletic for his size, as seen in his interception vs. Alabama. In those 1-on-1 situations, Leal puts his functional strength on display on contact. He has long arms with which he can get some great extension, easily bench pressing the offensive lineman off of him. Leal can shut down his gap and, oftentimes, the gap next to him as well. In the run game, he displays a variety of moves to shed his blocker, including good push-pull and shock-and-shed moves. He also displays the ability to make tackles through or while being blocked. Leal is very good as a pass rusher, displaying the athleticism needed to rush the passer and having a variety of pass rush moves to get to the quarterback, including an effective bull rush and spin move. He also displays the ability to split double teams with his strength. Leal has a good feel for the game, as he knows when he is being read in the run game and will sit and force the QB to make a decision before he does.
Weakness: Leal is a very safe prospect, with nearly all the traits to be a successful defensive lineman at the NFL level, even if he may not be for everyone. Although he is very versatile at 6’4″ and 290 lbs, he may not be the type of edge rusher that every NFL team is looking for. He may lack complete scheme versatility, even if that is kind of just nitpicking. There are a few little things that I would like to see him improve upon in his game. At times, he can be a little too aggressive in pass-rush situations and can get a little too far upfield, which opens up a rushing lane for the quarterback. He shows the ability to beat double teams but can get a little more reliable with them. Although Leal displays a good variety of pass rush moves, there are times when he just doesn’t use them. He tries to just push his way through/by offensive linemen, causing him to lose the rep or get stuck in a stalemate. Because he does have many of the moves, I believe that he just needs more reps in order to get more comfortable with when to use certain moves.
Bottom Line: I really like Leal as a prospect. In my opinion, he is a very safe prospect and his game does not require a lot of projection. He is dominant in 1-on-1 situations and knows how to beat double teams. At the very least, he shuts down his gap in the run game, and he usually does more than just that. I just love those who have the ability to make tackles through blocks. Leal is just as good in the passing game as he is in the run game. He is very versatile and can line up all along the line of scrimmage. He just has a few minor things to improve upon in what we expect to be his final collegiate season.
Edited By: Rupayan “Abs” Samanta.
