- POSITION / DEFENSIVE TACKLE
- HEIGHT / 6’4”
- WEIGHT / 290 LBS
- COLLEGE / TEXAS A&M
- CLASS / JUNIOR
- NFL COMPARISON / ED OLIVER
- GAMES WATCHED / (2O21) @ LSU, (2021) HOME AUBURN, (2021) HOME ALABAMA, (2020) @ MISS STATE, (2020) HOME FLORIDA
STRENGTHS: Former five-star recruit in the 2019 class and the highest-ranked Aggie commit since Cleveland Browns All-Pro DE Myles Garrett. Leal is versatile and powerful at the point of attack, willing to consistently take on double teams. While Texas A&M placed his front versatility on full display in the 2021 season by lining him up everywhere from the A-Gap to C-Gap, his body type and skillset say he would be more likely to stay inside at the next level. In 2021, Leal thrived from the move outside to the four-technique, where he saw almost 80% of his snaps on defense. He amassed 8.5 sacks, 23 hurries, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 58 total tackles. He is a stout, split high body type with long arms, violent hands, and a sharp initial burst off the snap.
Shows the intangibles to see through blocks, shed blocks, and locate the football routinely. His strike to the chest can disarm offensive lineman. Combine that with his knack for systematically keeping his hands under the pads while engaged and it shows why he is so valuable on the interior. Appears to be most comfortable shading at three-technique, where he can utilize his initial quickness, power, natural leverage, and capabilities to cut through the trash. Displays impressive raw tools with a willingness to take on two gaps, rag-doll the blocker, and fill both gaps. Leal is also a constant disruption in the run game: with great arm length, read-and-react skills, and timing, he can break up plays in the backfield and bat down passes when he can’t get home. Solid at gaining leverage in one-on-one situations. Will stun you with how vicious and effective his push-and-snatch move can be when he’s engaged. Ideal contact balance and carries his pads well when stacking the point. Difficult to contain in the B-Gap and displays the necessary handwork and power to beat combination and trap blocks.
AREAS OF WORK: He is a bit of a “tweener” when translating him to NFL standards. While Leal does retain very good initial quickness, explosion, and size at 290 lbs, he is also too heavy and not explosive enough to consistently line up at the EDGE position. At the same time, he isn’t big enough to steadily play inside in a 3-4 defense. I, personally, feel that the best place for him is at the Three-Tech, where he can consistently utilize his talents stated above. His overall lack of mass and pass rush arsenal on the line of scrimmage gets exposed when matching up against larger, more powerful offensive linemen. He leans on the bull-rush more often than not and, if that move is neutralized, he gets held up too long on blocks and struggles to disengage. Despite having a stout frame and all-around reliable anchor, he still battles with pad-level issues when fighting for leverage. Allows himself to be easily sealed off in the run game and completely erased from plays too often. Appeared much leaner and athletic in 2019 & 2020. In 2021, he looked a lot less explosive, quick-twitch, and decisive. Instead, he appeared to be more heavy-legged, unathletic, and lacking the same desire to finish plays. Short area player who shouldn’t be required to contain a lot of grass outside of the tackle box due to lack of athleticism and change of direction in space.
Edited By: Rupayan “Abs” Samanta.
