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Dallas Cowboys: Re-drafting first-round picks from last 5 years

By Cody Williams

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 12: Taco Charlton #97 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates his sack of quaterback Sean Mannion #13 of the Los Angeles Rams during the preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 12: Taco Charlton #97 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates his sack of quaterback Sean Mannion #13 of the Los Angeles Rams during the preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 12, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /
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Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

2018 NFL Draft, No. 19 Overall

Actual pick: Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State
Re-draft pick: Darius Leonard, LB, South Carolina State

After just missing out on the postseason in the 2017 campaign, the Cowboys were faced with some big decisions at the No. 19 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. They needed help at wide receiver (which they later answered with the Cooper trade) and could’ve also used a safety as they were surely hoping Derwin James would’ve kept falling to them.

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Ultimately, they decided that the right course of action was to shore up the middle of the defense as Sean Lee‘s injuries and decline continued. The pick was Leighton Vander Esch out of Boise State and it appeared to be a major win right away. Vander Esch was a Pro Bowler and Second-Team All-Pro as a rookie and seemed to be destined for big things.

However, the fact that Vander Esch played in only nine games in his second NFL season does raise some concern. His neck injuries have many worried about his long-term viability. Subsequently, the re-draft pick is another linebacker who went off the board in the 2017 draft and actually won Defensive Rookie of the Year with the Colts, Darius Leonard.

There is certainly hope and optimism that Vander Esch can get healthy and back to the form he displayed as a rookie for the Cowboys. However, even then, it’s hard to imagine he could match the stats that Leonard has put up over his first 28 professional games with 284 combined tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 12.0 sacks, seven interceptions, six forced fumbles and 15 passes defensed.

Hindsight is certainly 20-20 in this case but Leonard is a star that Dallas passed on in favor of Vander Esch.

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