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There's one particular comparable being tethered to Leighton Vander Esch that has the Dallas Cowboys excited, and he just offered his opinion on the rookie.
Brian Urlacher, a Hall of Fame linebacker at both the collegiate and professional level, played 13 seasons in the NFL after being selected with the ninth-overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. His career with the Chicago Bears was legendary, striking terror into opposing offenses whenever he took the field. Vander Esch enters the 2018 season with an eerily similar draft hype, the Cowboys grabbing him with the 19th-overall pick to fill a gaping hole in their defensive second level.
The Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Mountain West talent brings a lot to the table for the Cowboys and while early comparisons to a legend like Urlacher are credible pre-NFL, he'll have a lot of work to do to reach the heights of the eight-time pro bowler. The good news is, Urlacher believes Vander Esch has the chops, if he adapts quickly to the more complex playbook and duties of playing middle linebacker at the highest level of the sport
Helping the rookie get a leg up will be the fact his new defensive coordinator, Rod Marinelli, coached Urlacher from 2009 through 2012 before moving to the Metroplex. That gives the gold-jacket LB unique insight into what Vander Esch is walking into.
"With middle linebacker, the thing he's going to have to learn is the terminology first of all," said the four-time All Pro to NBC DFW. "It's a big change [going] from college to the NFL, and there's so many things that happen pre-snap. Lucky for him, that defense is simple. I played that defense for five years, [or rather] my last nine years but under coach Marinelli for five years.
"[It's a] simple defense and that's not going to be hard for him to learn. It's just getting the terminology down and getting the communication part right because there's a lot of communication that takes place in that defense. So if he learns that, once you get out there, play fast. And he's athletic or they wouldn't have drafted him where they did, so I think he'll do well. Just gotta learn the simple things early.
"...In college he was pretty good. He played in the Mountain West. I played in the Mountain West as well. He played at Boise State and he's similar to my [college] size, and he runs well so I think all the measurables are there for him."
The Cowboys are confident Vander Esch will impress early on, rookie learning curves at the most difficult defensive position aside. It certainly doesn't hurt to have All-Pro LB Sean Lee standing next to him helping him every step of the way, along with a fully-healthy and resurgent talent like Jaylon Smith covering his strong side and/or rotating in at MIKE to spell him as needed. With both Marinelli and Kris Richard overseeing the development of Vander Esch, the latter responsible for coordinating the passing game, all the pieces are in place to make sure the comparisons to Urlacher remain well-founded.
Already pegged as a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate, the bar is set sky-high for Vander Esch. All he has to do now is get to work.
247Sports
Brian Urlacher, a Hall of Fame linebacker at both the collegiate and professional level, played 13 seasons in the NFL after being selected with the ninth-overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. His career with the Chicago Bears was legendary, striking terror into opposing offenses whenever he took the field. Vander Esch enters the 2018 season with an eerily similar draft hype, the Cowboys grabbing him with the 19th-overall pick to fill a gaping hole in their defensive second level.
The Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Mountain West talent brings a lot to the table for the Cowboys and while early comparisons to a legend like Urlacher are credible pre-NFL, he'll have a lot of work to do to reach the heights of the eight-time pro bowler. The good news is, Urlacher believes Vander Esch has the chops, if he adapts quickly to the more complex playbook and duties of playing middle linebacker at the highest level of the sport
Helping the rookie get a leg up will be the fact his new defensive coordinator, Rod Marinelli, coached Urlacher from 2009 through 2012 before moving to the Metroplex. That gives the gold-jacket LB unique insight into what Vander Esch is walking into.
"With middle linebacker, the thing he's going to have to learn is the terminology first of all," said the four-time All Pro to NBC DFW. "It's a big change [going] from college to the NFL, and there's so many things that happen pre-snap. Lucky for him, that defense is simple. I played that defense for five years, [or rather] my last nine years but under coach Marinelli for five years.
"[It's a] simple defense and that's not going to be hard for him to learn. It's just getting the terminology down and getting the communication part right because there's a lot of communication that takes place in that defense. So if he learns that, once you get out there, play fast. And he's athletic or they wouldn't have drafted him where they did, so I think he'll do well. Just gotta learn the simple things early.
"...In college he was pretty good. He played in the Mountain West. I played in the Mountain West as well. He played at Boise State and he's similar to my [college] size, and he runs well so I think all the measurables are there for him."
The Cowboys are confident Vander Esch will impress early on, rookie learning curves at the most difficult defensive position aside. It certainly doesn't hurt to have All-Pro LB Sean Lee standing next to him helping him every step of the way, along with a fully-healthy and resurgent talent like Jaylon Smith covering his strong side and/or rotating in at MIKE to spell him as needed. With both Marinelli and Kris Richard overseeing the development of Vander Esch, the latter responsible for coordinating the passing game, all the pieces are in place to make sure the comparisons to Urlacher remain well-founded.
Already pegged as a potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate, the bar is set sky-high for Vander Esch. All he has to do now is get to work.
247Sports
