Predict the pick

[English Cowboy]

Part of the problem with Rd. 2 receivers is they all project to be slot guys. We have slot guys. There's not a prototypical tall guy with speed until Deon Cain.

DJ Chark is 6'4" and runs a 4.34 40.

 

[Dustdevil]

DJ Chark is 6'4" and runs a 4.34 40.

Yes, he certainly fits.

 

[yimyammer]

Exactly!

We have Sean “Made of Glass” Lee
Jalen “The Gimp” Smith
And now this guy who isn’t durable

All three at the position known to be a hard hitting position

Maybe not the best of ideas

"The Mash Unit"!

 

[MrB]

Strengths: Size, athleticism, upside, instincts.

Weaknesses: Experience.

Leighton Vander Esch's parents painted his name, uniform number and some Boise State logos on the side of a full-sized transit bus and drove from Idaho to Las Vegas to see their son play in a bowl game last year.

It was a fun way to demonstrate parental pride, but the color scheme was rather subdued. If one of my kids were playing in a bowl game, I'd paint him riding a unicorn and slaying frost giants with a vorpal sword while racing down the freeway. It would look like six different Rush album covers threw up on the side of that bus. Because I am that proud a parent.

(Actually, my sons prefer it when I don't attend their athletic events and didn't even want to be mentioned in this write-up. Joke's on them.)

Anyhoo…

Vander Esch combines many of the strengths—and a few of the minor weaknesses—of top linebacker prospects Roquan Smith and Tremaine Edmunds. He's almost as athletic as Edmunds, and he is as effective at knifing through the line of scrimmage to make tackles or hurry throws as Smith. But Vander Esch was just a one-year starter at Boise State, and it shows when he is late to diagnose pass patterns, has a hard time disengaging from blockers or fails to protect his legs from cut blocks.

Vander Esch is an old-fashioned inside linebacker with just enough range to stay on the field on third downs. But the Cowboys are so needy at so many other positions that this is a luxury selection. Jerry Jones, as he so often does, drafted a guy with a lot of buzz instead of drafting the player the Cowboys really need.

At least the famous Cowboys bus and the Vander Esch bus can park side-by-side at team headquarters. Maybe they can even have bus races? The busses will be much quicker and faster than the Cowboys' current batch of wide receivers.

Grade: C-minus

A luxury selection? You know the Cowboys barely have enough LB’s on the roster to even play a game right? I’m not crazy about the player but they NEED LB’s. They’re going to need at least 2 more before the draft is over.

 

[theoneandonly]

This guy said Dez was definitely getting cut 2 weeks prior so I wouldnt doubt that happens. Not to mention Clappy the coach worked him out personally.

 

[Chill35]

Courtland and if he goes early Kirk. Courtland appears to have a very high cieling. If they both go we are screwed as usual. Jerry should be doing some dealing to get us those guys.

 

[dbair1967]

I don't know why we didn't take Evans, he was still on the board. If we wanted an LB he seemed the safer pick.

Maybe because Evans cant cover a lick?

There's gotta be a reason an ultra smart Alabama coaching staff had him blitzing and edge rushing as much as they did, and not leaving him our in space on passing downs. Combine that with the reports that Evans was refusing to run 40's and do some other parts of workouts that all other players do, and it isn't that hard to understand.