Dallas Cowboys can help Leighton Vander Esch dominate the NFL
The Dallas Cowboys did good by selecting Leighton Vander Esch, but they can help him be dominant in the NFL by improving this linebacker-friendly position.
Welcome to the newest linebacker Leighton Vander Esch from Boise State to the Dallas Cowboys. Many members of Cowboy Nation were shocked at this selection, but it really seemed obvious that linebacker was the move. The Cowboys front office never addressed the departure of linebacker Anthony Hitchens to the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency.
Hitchens was our former fourth round pick and was Mr. Versatile playing each and every linebacker spot. After finding Hitchens in the fourth, was it a reach to take a linebacker in the first round of this year’s draft? The short answer is no.
According to Pro Football Focus, Vander Esch was the second highest ranked linebacker in the 2018 NFL draft behind Roquan Smith of Georgia. Smith went to the Chicago Bears with the eighth overall pick.
Vander Esch stands 6′ 4”, 256 pounds. The Cowboys haven’t had a defense presence of his size in the middle of the defense since Rolando McClain (6′ 4”, 259 pounds). Vander Esch will be paired with two former second round draft picks Jaylon Smith (2014) and Sean Lee (2010).
Lee will be 32-years old in July. It shouldn’t be a total shock to see the Cowboys select another linebacker in this draft as Lee’s future replacement. Unless you have a lot of confidence that Damien Wilson will finally make an impact. He has the physical traits and athleticism to be a star, but has been posting disappointing stats and has never become a consistent playmaker.
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While most fans would love to see the Cowboys select a sexy skill position player, I want them to do the opposite. If Dallas wants maximum production from their newest first round draft pick, it’s time to beef up the interior line.
The front office needs to put another young defensive tackle talent next to our 2016 third round draft pick – defensive tackle Maliek Collins. That is if you believe that defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford‘s salary has surpassed his production.
Crawford is scheduled to have a base salary of $6 million this season, $7 million in 2019 and $8 million in 2020. Of course, things can be restructured or Crawford could take a pay cut. It’s just hard to imagine that the Cowboys will be willing to pay that salary to a defensive tackle that isn’t dominant at his position. There are a lot of talented defensive tackles remaining in the 2018 draft.
It’s a shame that the Cowboys openly devalue the interior of the defensive line. Great defensive tackles help defensive ends avoid double teams. Great tackles generate pressure up the middle and quarterbacks hate defensive linemen in their face. Finally, great tackles create lanes for middle linebackers to make plays in the backfield. The technical term is – “Keeping your linebacker clean.”
If you’re on the fence and slightly disappointed that Dallas didn’t grab a wide receiver, please don’t be. I’m not a fan of the front office, but the Cowboys did good by selecting Vander Esch.
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Not only was “LVE” a top ranked talent, but our scouting department loves locating and evaluating players from Boise State. He’ll be a good fit in our defense – but he’ll be great with a premier defensive tackle. Let’s see what happens next.
#GoCowboys