In a note on his Instagram page posted Wednesday afternoon, Leal made the widely-anticipated announcement that he would declare early for the 2022 NFL Draft.

Leal was a 5-star recruit in the 2019 recruiting class and one of Jimbo Fisher's first major recruiting wins at Texas A&M. Leal was considered a Texas lean until he made a February visit to College Station. He committed almost immediately after and remained a firm commit as the rest of the class was assembled.

Leal made a quick impact at A&M, racking up 38 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks as a true freshman. After playing most of the season as a defensive end, the Converse Judson product moved inside to defensive tackle to replace Justin Madubuike in a Texas Bowl victory over Oklahoma State.

Leal grabbed the attention of scouts last season, racking up 37 tackles, 7 TFL, 2 sacks, 4 passes defensed, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and an interception in just 10 games. He was especially dominant in the second half of the season as the Aggies played in -- and won -- their first Orange Bowl since 1944.

A preseason All-American before the 2021 season, Leal lived up to the billing. Moving back and forth between end and tackle, he tallied 58 tackles, 12.5 TFL, 8.5 sacks and forced a fumble as the star of one of the nation's top defenses.

For his A&M career, Leal has totaled 133 tackles, 25 TFL and 13 sacks while never missing a game.

Leal's decision to enter the draft was a foregone conclusion, as he has been considered a first round pick in virtually every mock draft over the past year. His combination of size, speed and versatility should be appealing to NFL teams operating either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme.