Dallas Cowboys put Leighton Vander Esch, Jaylon Smith on notice with Micah Parsons pick

Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith were once considered top  linebackers in the NFL, now the Dallas Cowboys put them both on notice with Micah Parsons

After seeing Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II get selected at picks No. 8 and 9, the Dallas Cowboys found themselves in a weird spot in the 2021 NFL Draft. They no longer had their top choices available, so they drop down two spots in a trade with the hated Philadelphia Eagles and added the No. 84 pick for their trouble.

In the end, the move ended up being a wise one as they added another top-100 selection and still had their choice of players that they would have had at No. 10. And then they used that pick on Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons.

Reactions to the decision were mixed, to say the least. Fans were hopeful that Dallas would land a cornerback, safety, or EDGE with their first pick which left them feeling unfulfilled. However, Parsons was also arguably the highest-rated player on the board and many draft experts called him the best overall defender in the class.

While we can debate all day whether or not this was a smart pick, what is not debatable is the fact that this put Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith on notice. Once considered the top young linebacking duo in the NFL, LVE and Smith declined drastically in 2020 and became the weakest position on the roster — and that’s saying something.

Of course, Vander Esch may have already been put on notice as the 2018 first-round pick has yet to have his fifth-year option picked up, and with Parsons in town, that’s highly unlikely to happen now. As for Smith, it also could put him on the bubble.

Ahead of the 2019 season, Smith was given a five-year contract extension worth $64 million. Since signing that deal, he has become a liability.

He constantly freelances, misses plays, and is constantly being mocked for celebrating while the refs are throwing flags for a blatant penalty he committed.

Parsons, on the other hand, comes in with a high pedigree and is a player on the rise. He proved at Penn State that he can defend the run, attack the quarterback, and play coverage. There’s no denying he’s a talented player and the only real knocks on him are some allegations of hazing (which are disturbing to read about) and the fact that linebackers in the first round are hit and miss — see Vander Esch, Leighton.

Having said all that, his addition does make the defense better not only due to his skills but also because of the pressure it puts on the linebackers already on the roster.