A week ago, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell walked out to the stage at AT&T Stadium to announce the Dallas Cowboys first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft. For the second consecutive year, a large portion of Cowboys Nation was not pretty happy about the player America’s Team had drafted in the first day of the Draft.
Boise State’s Linebacker Leighton Vander Esch has become one of the main debates among Cowboys fans right now and will continue to be one at least until the season starts. Some are fine with the decision the front office made and some simply don’t view Vander Esch as a first round talent.
Naturally, taking Leighton in the first round has been widely compared to the team’s last first round pick: Taco Charlton.
Both of these selections resulted in fans all around the world complaining and criticizing the selections since they both seemed like a reach, arguing that they could’ve gotten better players at other positions.
But fans shouldn’t be so quick to compare the Charlton and Vander Esch selections, because they really aren’t that similar. Sure, most of the media and Draft fans didn’t consider any of these players worthy of a first round pick, but that doesn’t mean both players were ranked similarly in the Cowboys’ draft board.
Defensive End Taco Charlton, despite showing some very promising flashes towards the end of the year, wasn’t able to become a starter at any point during his rookie season. Hopefully he develops into one next season. But when you’re talking about first-round picks, being a solid starter at the end of the season at the latest is a very usual expectation.
Possibly what made the Taco pick hurt even more, is the fact that the front office didn’t even consider him a first-round talent. Although he was drafted to wear the Star with the 28th overall pick, he wasn’t their guy.
The #Cowboys had three first-round grades on DEs, but Taco Charlton wasn't one of them.
— Drew Davison (@drewdavison) April 28, 2017
With Leighton Vander Esch, the same can’t be said. The Cowboys knew he was their guy and that they were going to take him, regardless of the situation. For many weeks we wondered about just every scenario the team might face when they were on the clock.
What if DE Harold Landry is available? What if Calvin Ridley is still on the board? What if Derwin James slides, would they trade up?
For the front office, there was quite a lot of talent to choose from at 19 (not to mention James did slide out of the top 15), but they still took Leighton Vander Esch, even with Landry and Ridley on the board. We might disagree with the pick. We might not think the Boise State’s product should’ve been taken so early. That’s completely fine.
But Cowboys Nation should be happy knowing that this was the guy they wanted all along. Maybe if Derwin James hadn’t been drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers with the 17th pick, Dallas would have still taken Vander Esch.
“If the Cowboys traded up a few spots in the first round, I believe it would have been to ensure they got Vander Esch, not get James or Edmunds.” Dane Brugler on the Cowboys’ approach to the Draft.
For now, it’s time to root for the Dallas Cowboys’ new rookie. Vander Esch will provide a special factor to this defense and has the potential to become a very good starter down the road. Playing side by side with Sean Lee and Jaylon Smith will certainly help his development and turn him into an impact player soon.
At the end of the day, it takes years to properly evaluate how a draft pick turned out in the NFL. There are first round players who turn out to be complete busts just like there are sixth or seventh round players that go on to become superstars in the league.
The Dallas Cowboys did a hell of a job addressing their needs throughout the Draft this year and there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about this year’s draft picks. Leighton Vander Esch is without a doubt, one of them.
