Steelers' DeMarvin Leal Should Be Embarrassed After Mike Tomlin's Recent Comment

The Pittsburgh Steelers seem to have hit the motherload with the 2023 draft class. Almost every player they selected this season has made a major contribution to the team and the success they found this past season. The same can't quite be said of the 2022 class, where there are a few more question marks. One of the biggest question marks out of the 2022 group has been about DeMarvin Leal. During his end-of-season press conference, Head Coach Mike Tomlin did not soften the blow any when he was asked about Leal's future in the organization. 

Leal was a third-round selection in 2022 out of Texas A&M. He saw some playing time last year prior to suffering an injury that kept him out until Week 13. The team is definitely in need of some young talent on the defensive line with veteran Cameron Heyward getting a bit long in the tooth. But it started to seem as though Leal might not be the heir apparent, despite having time and mentoring from one of the best. 

Those concerns felt even more valid when 2023 rookie Keeanu Benton surpassed Leal in playing time. Now it feels even more likely that the Steelers will have to look at drafting players on the defensive line again. While fans might be screaming for a quarterback, and other very pressing needs like at center, the Steelers have a reputation to uphold and the "Steel Curtain"  won't last with Leal in the lineup if something doesn't change. 

Tomlin was asked by the media about Leal, who was a healthy scratch late in the season. They wondered if there is a path for Leal to move forward with this team. Tomlin answered the question far more directly than most are used to. There were none of his cryptic one-liners here, just an acknowledgment that Leal has to make a decision before it is too late. 

"There certainly is, but he's got to be a component of that. Obviously, we put helmets on guys we think are best positioned to help us secure victory and he hadn't been a component of that, and so he's got some work to do," said Tomlin.

The Curious Case Of Steelers' DeMarvin Leal

Leal was a standout All-American in high school. He was highly recruited, but chose to stay in his home state of Texas. He performed well at A&M and even started as a freshman. Once he took the field as a professional, it felt like something was missing. 

It is not unusual for guys to need time to adjust from college to the pros. This is part of the reason Tomlin likes to ease younger players into the starting lineup. But Leal got chances to play. He started some games earlier this season, but we all watched as the coaching staff used him less and less. He did suffer a concussion that kept him out of Week 5, but they weren't in a hurry to get him back on the field. Instead, he was being phased out. 

Then the coaches told him at the beginning of December that he wouldn't be needed, he would be a healthy scratch. That has to be devasting to hear, that you aren't even suiting up. But Tomlin believes in playing the best player available. No one is going to get to start because of how big their paycheck is or where they were selected in the draft - that is quite obvious with the running back situation being split between first-round draft pick Najee Harris and undrafted free agent Jaylen Warren. 

Tomlin makes it sound as though Leal wasn't giving it enough effort. It will be very interesting to see what 2024 brings from Leal. Knowing that the team needs defensive linemen, will he work his butt off to get to that starting spot?