NFL Draft: Re-grading every first round pick from the 2018 NFL Draft: Number 19 overall, LB Leighton Vander Esch
Dallas Cowboys fans must feel a certain level of betrayal when it comes to linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. In his first year, the outside linebacker could do it. Chasing down the quarterback wasn’t an issue as he repeatedly made signal-callers rush through their progressions. He was also more than capable of bellying up with his man as he defended seven passes and intercepted the ball twice. While all his numbers were eye-catching, it was his ridiculous 140 combined tackles that left Cowboy fans feeling as though he was their man for years to come. His Pro Bowl nod in his first year appeared to be the first of many.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the injuries began piling up and the bad play soon followed. The Cowboys defense suffered when he was sidelined for seven and six games respectively in back-to-back years, but they didn’t get much better once he made it onto the field. His run-stop percentage plummeted from 11.3% in year one to 8.4% this past year.
With the injuries seemingly behind him though, there’s a chance he could return back to form. He’ll need to if he wants to get a higher grade from us. For now, due to his massive steps back, we were given no choice.
Grade: C-