Aggies DL DeMarvin Leal Declares For The 2022 NFL Draft

Texas A&M defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal has officially declared for the 2022 NFL Draft.

As the college football season winds down, and most seasons are done minus the bowl games, underclassmen will start declaring for the 2022 NFL Draft. The first domino has fallen in that, with Texas A&M’s DeMarvin Leal putting his hat in the ring. Leal made the announcement via his Instagram.

Leal came into the season as one of the top prospects for the 2022 NFL Draft, earning a top 10 ranking on multiple outlets, including here at NFL Mocks. There wasn’t a whole lot to show for in terms of his performance on the stat sheet coming into the 2021 season, as his season highs in tackles for loss and sacks were seven and 2.5, respectively. The traits from summer scouting indicated a breakout was coming, and the film showed that he played very well in 2020, especially against Alabama tackle Evan Neal.

2021 was an excellent season for Leal, as he had his best season by far. In 11 games, Leal had 12.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, including two passes defensed and a forced fumble.

At 290 pounds, Leal moves incredibly well for his size. He’s moved around a lot for the Aggies in his time in College Station, from the edge to the three technique and even some snaps at the nose tackle position. He’s extremely quick when working on the interior, and has the play strength, anchor, and hand usage to set the edge and shed blocks against the run. His flexibility, quickness, and hand placement/leverage give him the ability to win as a pass rusher as well.

It’s going to be interesting to see how NFL teams view DeMarvin Leal in the 2022 NFL Draft. Teams with defenses that utilize multiple fronts will love the versatility Leal provides. He won’t be for everyone, and the athletic testing will be interesting to see, but Leal is the first domino to fall who should be a first round pick in April.