BIOGRAPHY
Leighton Vander Esch was born on February 8th, 1996, in Riggins, Idaho. He is a linebacker in the NFL.
Born and raised in Riggins, Idaho, Vander Esch is of Dutch descent. He attended Salmon River High School in Riggins, and competed in eight-man football, basketball, and track. In football, Vander Esch played quarterback and middle linebacker. As a senior, he completed 121 out of 199 attempts (60.8 percent) for 2,155 yards and 28 passing touchdowns with one interception. He also had 157 carries for 1,565 yards and 34 rushing touchdowns, 131 tackles (85 solo), five interceptions, five fumble recoveries, and four 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 five of his team's offensive touchdowns. He led SRHS 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 and led Salmon River to consecutive 1A D2 state championships.
Vander Esch walked on at Boise State University. As a redshirt freshman in 2015, he appeared in all twelve games as a backup linebacker and registered 20 tackles (14 solo), one sack, one fumble recovery, and a first down on a fake punt. As a sophomore in 2016, he was limited to six games due to a neck injury, returning in the twelfth game against Air Force; he tallied 27 tackles (23 solo), 3.5 tackles-for-loss, one sack, and one interception. As a junior in 2017, Vander Esch 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), four sacks, two interceptions, and four forced fumbles (led the team). After the season, Vander Esch opted not to play as a senior (fifth-year) for the Broncos in 2018 and entered the 2018 NFL Draft. He finished his collegiate career with 188 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions.
The Dallas Cowboys selected Vander Esch in the first round with the 19th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, and he was the third linebacker selected. On May 11th, the Cowboys signed Vander Esch to a fully guaranteed four-year $11.84 million that includes a signing bonus of $6.69 million. Throughout training camp, Vander Esch competed to be the starting middle linebacker against Jaylon Smith. Head coach Jason Garrett named Vander Esch the backup middle linebacker, behind Jaylon Smith, to start the regular season.
He made his professional regular season debut in the Cowboys' season-opener at the Carolina Panthers and recorded three combined tackles in their 16–8 loss. On September 30, Vander Esch earned his first career start after Sean Lee sustained a hamstring injury and was inactive for three games (Weeks 4–6). He made six combined tackles as the Cowboys defeated the Detroit Lions 26–24. The following week, he collected 14 combined tackles (11 solo) during their 19–16 loss at the Houston Texans in Week 5.
On November 11th, Vander Esch recorded a season-high 13 solo tackles and made his first career interception during a 27–20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He intercepted a pass by Eagles' quarterback Carson Wentz, that was intended for tight end Zach Ertz, during the first quarter. The following week, Vander Esch recorded eight combined tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan during a 22–19 win at the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11. In Week 16, he collected a season-high 15 combined tackles (11 solo) as the Cowboys defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27–20.
The Dallas Cowboys finished first in the NFC East with a 10–6 record and earned a playoff berth. On January 5, 2019, Vander Esch started in his first career playoff game and recorded ten combined tackles (six solo) as the Cowboys defeated the Seattle Seahawks 24–22 in the NFC Wildcard Game.
