Leighton Vander Esch

Leighton Vander Esch
refer to caption
Vander Esch after the 2017 Mountain West Championship Game.
No. 55 – Dallas Cowboys
Position: Middle linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1996-02-08) February 8, 1996
Riggins, Idaho
Height: 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight: 256 lb (116 kg)
Career information
High school: Salmon River (Riggins, Idaho)
College: Boise State
NFL Draft: 2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 19
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 5, 2018
Total tackles: 40
Sacks: 0.0
Forced fumbles: 0
Fumble recoveries: 0
Interceptions: 0
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Leighton Vander Esch (born February 8, 1996) is an American football middle linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boise State.

Early years

Vander Esch, who is of Dutch descent, attended Salmon River High School in Riggins, Idaho, with a graduating class of 11 students. He practiced eight-man football, basketball and ran track.

In football, he played quarterback and middle linebacker. As a senior, he made 121 out of 199 attempts (60.8 percent) for 2,155 yards and 28 passing touchdowns and one interception. He also had 157 carries for 1,565 yards and 34 rushing touchdowns, 131 tackles (85 solo), 5 interceptions, 5 fumble recoveries and 4 defensive touchdowns. In the state's final 53-38 win against Lighthouse Christian School, he collected more than 500 yards of total offense and scored all 5 of his team's offensive touchdowns. He led his team to a 1A D2 State Championship and was named All-Idaho 1A Division II Player of the Year.

In basketball, he averaged 29.4 points and 11.1 rebounds per game as a senior. He helped his team win two consecutive 1A D2 State Championships.

College career

Vander Esch walked on at Boise State University.[1][2] As a redshirt freshman, he appeared in all 12 games as a backup linebacker. He registered 20 tackles (14 solo), one sack, one fumble recovery and a first down on a fake punt. As a sophomore, he was limited to 6 games due to a neck injury, returning in the twelfth game against the United States Air Force Academy. He tallied 27 tackles (23 solo), 3.5 tackles-for-loss, one sack and one interception.

As a junior in 2017, he became a starter at weak-side linebacker and had a breakout season. He was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year after making 141 tackles (fifth in the FBS), 4 sacks, 2 interceptions and 4 forced fumbles (led the team).[3] After the season, Vander Esch decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2018 NFL Draft.[4][5] He finished his career with 188 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions.

Professional career

An all-around linebacker, Vander Esch's strengths are his versatility coupled with sideline-to-sideline athleticism. One notable fact is that he showcased physical feats and athleticism, that are expected of players much smaller than him. "Understand this dude is 20 pounds heavier than the rest of the upscale linebacker class. In the pass game, I think he's special. He's got eyes everywhere," said Mike Mayock.[6]

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert jump Broad BP
6 ft 4 1⁄4 in
(1.94 m)		 256 lb
(116 kg)		 33 7⁄8 in
(0.86 m)		 9 3⁄4 in
(0.25 m)		 4.65 s 1.56 s 2.69 s 4.15 s 6.88 s 39 1⁄2 in
(1.00 m)		 10 ft 04 in
(3.15 m)		 20 reps
All values from NFL Draft[7][8]

Vander Esch was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round (19th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.[6] On May 11, 2018, Vander Esch signed a four-year deal worth $11.847 million with a $6.696 million signing bonus.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Idaho native Vander Esch continuing to improve for Boise State". Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Vander Esch's rise at Boise State has a whole Idaho community cheering — and busing". Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Boise State linebacker named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year". Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Boise State LB Leighton Vander Esch declares for draft". Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  5. ↑ "Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch declares for NFL Draft: "there was nothing holding me back"". Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Sessler, Marc (April 26, 2018). "Cowboys pass on WR, draft LB Leighton Vander Esch". NFL.com.
  7. ↑ "NFL Draft Prospect Profile - Leighton Vander Esch". nfl.com. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Boise State OLB Leighton Vander Esch : 2018 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Cowboys sign Leighton Vander Esch to rookie deal". NFL. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
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