Texas A&M pulls out of gator bowl - DeMarvin Leal was a guy I wanted to watch closely in this game

The War Room Detroit Lions — The Den
1

So Texas A&M pulled out of the Gator bowl due to Covid.

I was hoping to get one last look at DT DeMarvin Leal.

With Brockers aging and Levi struggling I think DT is a need. I think the Lions will be going DL and Edge in this draft. I think it’s a priority of DC to get better in the trenches. I figure that’s why we went trenches so hard last draft. I expect us to continue to build that DL.

Leal was a guy I thought we could target with the Rams pick or possibly the Lions second round pick.

Leal was arrested a few weeks ago on a Marijuana charge. I’m not sure if this would take him off our list or not. It may help him to stick around until our second round pick.

Leal is 6’ 290 lbs and has the ability to play both inside and outside. He had 12.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks this year. He’s a solid run defender and can get after the passer. I think he’s what we’re looking for in a DT and he would be an upgrade over what we currently have.

Anyway I was hoping to get another look at Leal but unfortunately Texas A&M won’t be participating.

Here’s a highlight real for you all.

1 Like
2

If he’s there in the 2nd you pull the trigger without hesitation. He is dominant at the point of attack and really jumps off the film that I’ve watched of A&M this year. Very productive. One of the best players on the field in the Alabama game.

Somebody will take him before that though. I’d totally take him with the Rams pick too by the way.

I hadn’t even heard of the marijuana thing until just now.

3

Yep, missed a couple guys from UCLA yesterday but getting some Charlie Kolar today for Iowa State. Purdy hasn’t been on, so the needle isn’t moving. Smoke Monday was fun to watch yesterday. Most of the guys I want to see are playing for Alabama.

4

I dont know this draft class isn’t much different than last years at DT. Neither are all that strong of DT classes.

Barmore went early round 2 last year and many thought he’d go top 15.

Leal will likely go somewhere between 15-45 is my guess. Depending on how he shakes out at the combine and via interviews.

I definitely think he’s in play for us. He would provide us with depth and insurance along the DL.

What do you think of your OSU guy Haskell Garrett?

5

I can’t see drafting another high round DT.

6

Posters said that about OT last year and our DL isn’t all that strong of a unit.

7

I feel like Leal is a better prospect than anyone out of last year’s class though.

Agreed.

I was a fan of his after the 2020 season. He was clearly our best pass rusher and was really great at beating guards 1 on 1 with pass rush moves. He was a solid run defender and was overall one of the beat DTs in CFB.

This year he took a major turn. I think he might have started doing something different with his stance because his leverage and power off the snap went away. Watch the Michigan game. He got blown off the ball really badly all day. He also wasn’t really as good as a pass rusher this year and I think his leverage was a big key in that.

I’d love to know why Larry Johnson coached him into whatever his problems became or why he made the switch, but he definitely isn’t a guy I’d take in the top 3 rounds.

I’d look at him with our 5th compensatory pick.

8

It would be interesting to know if Sewell had been off the board, if we would have still taken an OT…or if we even had Slater rated high enough to take there.

I think the only reason we took Sewell is because he was a consensus top 3 player.

I could see us taking a player that drops, like Leal but probably more from a BPA stand point than because we NEED a DT.

We have Brockers, Levi, Alim, Penisweenie, and Cornell.

9

I feel like we would’ve taken Slater if Sewell was gone.

Dorsey in the draft video said something to Brad along the lines of “The scenario you talked about consistently, it was always going to be those two guys sitting there”. Then Holmes said they had 3 guys sitting there that they were interested in. I think those 3 guys were Sewell, Slater, and Devonta Smith.

2 Likes
10

I think Leal goes in the top 20.

1 Like
11

If you can get one of the top DE/OLB guys with the top pick, a safety/ILB at the end of round 1 and leal in the second (or flip those two) I would be happy. I think a WR would be nice too but I would love to have 3 young interior dlineman and pair them with an athletically gifted pass rusher plus okwara x2 and Harris rotating at OLB. Add in a play making safety or ILB and that defense is looking very very promising if the players can develop with consistency.

1 Like
12

Leal kinda reminds me of Levi O. In fact I think I like Levi’s film more. So if our draft goes… Hutchinson, Burkes, Leal, I won’t complain. Wouldn’t want to take him with our Rams pick though.

13

I’m guessing your phone didn’t take the last few digits on his height that you typed there…
I’ve seen him listed at 6’4" tall.

I like him quite a bit as well.
Alabama doubled him much of the game, even on snaps when he was lined up across from Evan Neal. He lined up inside and outside in that game… and it was obvious that Bama kept tabs on where he was on the field.
I also watched him against Ole Miss… and he lined up pretty much exclusively at DE.
He had a really good game statistically, and also got held on a number of plays that weren’t called.

14

And I think finding a more explosive player as the heir apparent to Brockers is a much bigger need than most realize. If he’s Cam Jordan lite that is an essential cornerstone of this type of defense.

If we could trade down and back up and end up with Leal and either Wilson or Williams at WR and still have pick 33 (and likely a little something extra left over from the trade down) I’d be quite pleased.

1 Like