The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the 2023 summer after a very eventful offseason which featured several big free agency signings, as well as a 2023 draft class that was absolutely revered by the national media. However, the Steelers are not one to consider themselves winners on paper, so only the players' performances this summer and into the season will determine if it was as much of a successful offseason as Steeler Nation believes.
One position group that has gone through a much needed injection of youth over the last couple of offseasons has been the defensive line.
The Steelers' defensive line has always been one to have some big names on it over the years. Just in the 21st century, the team has had Casey Hampton, Aaron Smith, Stephon Tuitt, and Cam Heyward, just to name a few. Heyward has been a mainstay on the team for the last decade or so, and has continued to be a dominant force for the team. The Steelers always have tried to pair him with another top defensive end, whether that be the previously mentioned Tuitt or Larry Ogunjobi, there was clear emphasis in having multiple high level players along the defensive line.
Over the last few seasons, the team has also filled in depth with some key veteran signings to allow for other positions to be focused on in the previous drafts. Those include Chris Wormley, Tyson Alualu, and some others who really helped round out the defensive line group.
That strategy worked for several seasons, but there has been a clear shift recently that has shown in three consecutive drafts their desire to add young talent to the defensive line. In 2021, the team traded back into the fifth round of the draft to select Isaiahh Loudermilk out of Wisconsin. In the 2023 draft, they chose Keeanu Benton in the second round, also out of Wisconsin.
The most interesting prospect of all is likely the Steelers' 2022 third round selection, which was DeMarvin Leal out of Texas A&M.
Steelers' 2022 Third Round Pick DeMarvin Leal Is A Unique Chess Piece
Leal is entering his second year with the team, and is someone who was once talked about as a potential first round pick due to his unique blend of size and athleticism. That blend forced him into a bit of a mixed role during his rookie season, especially after T.J. Watt went down with an injury which caused him to miss about half the season. Leal spent his time mixing between a traditional 3-4 defensive end for the Steelers, as well as spending time as an outside linebacker on the edge of the line of scrimmage.
While Leal is the lighted defensive lineman on the Steelers' roster at 290lbs, that is still a solid weight for a DE and on the heavier side for an OLB usually.
This sort of "tweener" role as some might call it, is something Leal is embracing however. "Tweener" can have a negative spin on it usually, but not for Leal, who believes it makes him unique and adds value to his game. In speaking with Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Leal spoke on this.
"I'm definitely a tweener, I have to embrace that because there's only one kind of me. There's nobody that can truly do that - playing inside and out, being able to hold a double team, but also be able to be outside and rush."
Leal is definitely correct in the fact that there is only one of him, because throughout recent history, he is one of the few that the Steelers have truly done this experiment with, especially over multiple seasons. Overall, his ability to embrace this and become a versatile piece for the defense helps the team as well as himself. This ensure the Steelers have additional depth at two separate positions in the front seven, while also giving Leal the best chance to maximize his playing time.
There is definitely going to be chances for Leal to prove himself this season, and as the season progresses it'll likely become more clear which role the Steelers would like to push him to long-term. Ideally it is the position he excels at more, but that isn't always the case due to injuries, etc.
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