Steve got nerfed but is still being pocketed by most top players, especially in Korea.
DVJ is super oppressive at all levels and is being played in s4 tournaments by multiple top players, he is currently my tournament pick as well.
Akuma needs high execution but its not that big of a deal, since the execution is in combos so its only a matter of muscle memory. Neutral doesnt require any execution so its really not that big of a deal.

DLC chars are pretty strong overall that's true.