Raiders Third-Round Possibilities, Part 11

The Las Vegas Raiders should still have a number of difference makers to choose from in the 2022 NFL Draft, including Texas A&M's DeMarvin Leal.

Defenses that can push the pocket on the interior of the line of scrimmage have a much easier time controlling games.

The Las Vegas Raiders could utilize that by drafting Texas A&M defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal. 

A former five-star prospect coming out of high school, Leal came into the 2021 season as a potential top prospect for the 2022 NFL Draft. 

Last season didn't treat him that well, though, as after previously being graded highly by sites like Pro Football Focus, Leal fell off significantly. 

You wouldn't know it by just looking at the counting stats, as Leal recorded career-highs across the board with 12.5 tackles for losses and 8.5 sacks. 

Leal's pass rushing and run defense grades were still down a ton, going from PFF's 12th best edge player in 2020 to 341st in 2021.

When looking at Leal's strengths, he's a gifted athlete at 6-4 and 290 pounds who can move well.

That unique size allowed the Aggies to move Leal all over their defensive line during his time in college. 

He played the most snaps off the edge during his career, but Leal played a third of his snaps from either the A or B gap in 2021. 

Leal could arguably be projected best as a 3-technique at the NFL level, and already having an arsenal of pass-rushing moves to rely on could suit him well on the interior.

His lack of weight could hinder him in the running game dealing with double teams, which could make teams think Leal is more of a tweener between being an or a tackle. 

Teams are most likely going to want to know if Leal can bring consistent effort on every snap, as his motor was highly questioned last season. 

Leal can be explosive when he wants to, but too often last season it didn't look like he had the same juice as when projections previously viewed him as a top prospect. 

If he's able to improve his effort, Leal could end up being a steal considering the talent and tools he has at his disposal. 

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