DeMarvin Leal on being drafted by Pittsburgh Steelers: 'I wanted to come here'

Former Texas A&M Aggies defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal was selected with the No. 84 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, being taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round. Leal was undoubtedly pretty happy with him ending up with the Steelers.

On draft night, Leal said that he and his family were staying at an Airbnb in Texas. He wanted to go outside to get a break from staring at the TV all night, and once he and his family did that, Leal received the call from the Steelers.

“I was in San Antonio, Texas, was with family at an Airbnb,” Leal said of draft night. “Got on a call with coach, and first everybody was inside watching the draft. But then it was like let’s go to the pool, let’s just look at the sky, get away from the TV a little bit. So we all just migrated outside and was just talking, enjoying each other’s time. And then next thing you know, there goes the call.”

In three years at Texas A&M, Leal racked up 133 total tackles, 13 sacks, and 25 tackles for loss. Leal is likely to play a role right out of the gates with the Steelers, though he will probably begin his NFL career as a backup on a good defense in Pittsburgh.

Leal on being picked by the Steelers: ‘I wanted to come here’

After being taken by the Steelers, Leal said that Pittsburgh was where he wanted to end up. When he got the call on draft night, Leal described it as a “no-brainer.”

“I wanted to come here,” Leal said. “So like it was a no-brainer when I got that call from Pittsburgh. It was like I was more waiting on it, just time. So it was just all God’s timing as well. So just was blessed when I first got it.”

Karl Dunbar is the Steelers defensive line coach, and he has been in that role since 2018. Dunbar has been coaching since 1998, with stops in both the NFL and college football. Leal is familiar with Dunbar, and their relationship was one of the major reasons that the former Texas A&M star wanted to end up with the Steelers.

“Coach (Karl) Dunbar,” said Leal when asked why he wanted to come to Pittsburgh. “He’s a fantastic coach and he has ties with my defensive line coach at A&M as well. So just when we first met, it was just automatically clicked.”