NFL Draft Grades 2018: Dallas Cowboys select Leighton Vander Esch at No. 19
Sitting with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected Leighton Vander Esch, but was that the right choice?
There were plenty of questions as to what the Dallas Cowboys — the home team for the 2018 NFL Draft — would do with their first-round selection, picking at No. 19 overall. With Dez Bryant being cut earlier in April, many suspected that it would be a wide receiver coming off the board to the Cowboys. Instead, they went to address the hole at linebacker with Leighton Vander Esch.
A product of the blue turf and the Boise State Broncos, Vander Esch had already started turning some heads throughout his last year in college. He recorded a wild 141 tackles this past season and looked the part of a three-down linebacker for the Broncos. What’s more, he then went to the Combine and wowed further.
When it comes to his measurables, it’s a pretty simple story with Vander Esch. He’s bigger than most linebackers in his class, but might be the most athletic overall that’s not named Tremaine Edmunds. That was a concern coming into the Combine, but he didn’t just quiet those concerns with his workout — he smashed them into oblivion.
In a vacuum, this isn’t a bad pick really. The Cowboys lost Anthony Hitchens in free agency, so there’s a need at linebacker and Vander Esch is a talented player with upside it seems. However, the situation around it makes it slightly questionable.
Vander Esch has just one year of production, which is always a bit disconcerting for a player who is such a freak athlete and who was so ridiculously productive in that once year. What’s more, every wide receiver in the class was on the board at No. 19 for the Cowboys who cut Dez Bryant this offseason. That’s a hard pill to swallow.
Next: NFL Draft 2018: Instant grades and reactions
This isn’t like taking a surefire bust. There is upside with Vander Esch and reasons to be hopeful about his performance and potential. However, it’s not a home run or something to get terribly excited about.
Grade: C