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Report: Washington Redskins considering LB Leighton Vander Esch at No. 13

By Jacob Camenker

LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 16: Leighton Vander Esch #38 of the Boise State Broncos celebrates with the trophy after the Broncos defeated the Oregon Ducks in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 16, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Boise State won 38-28. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 16: Leighton Vander Esch #38 of the Boise State Broncos celebrates with the trophy after the Broncos defeated the Oregon Ducks in the Las Vegas Bowl at Sam Boyd Stadium on December 16, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Boise State won 38-28. (Photo by David Becker/Getty Images) /
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The Washington Redskins are reportedly considering linebacker Leighton Vander Esch with their first round pick.

Coming into the draft season in 2018, Leighton Vander Esch wasn’t getting a lot of attention. The Boise State linebacker was coming off a career season in which he totaled 141 tackles and was a force on the team’s defense. However, because he played at Boise State, he flew under the radar a bit but as more teams saw his tape, the more liked what they saw.

Over the course of the past few months, Vander Esch has worked his way up from being a Day 2 pick to being a likely first round lock. With each passing day, he continues to rise up draft boards, and it’s looking more and more possible that he will be a top-25 pick. He has a lot of fans, and the Redskins are apparently among them.

According to Draft Analyst’s Tony Pauline, the Redskins “could surprise at 13 and take Vander Esch.” ESPN’s John Keim also confirmed that Washington had interest in Vander Esch, and that they tried to bring him in for a visit, but he was booked.

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Considering that Vander Esch profiles as an inside linebacker, this is a bit of a curious fit. The Redskins did re-sign Mason Foster and Zach Brown to deals this offseason, and they have some quality, young depth at the position as well in Josh Harvey-Clemons, Zach Vigil, and Martrell Spaight. So, on the surface, Vander Esch wouldn’t fill any sort of need.

At the same time, there’s no denying that Vander Esch could provide something that the Redskins still could use. He has great tackling ability, as evidenced by his final year at Boise State, but he also had some success in coverage. While Brown and Foster are both great tacklers, neither did particularly well in coverage last year. Vander Esch could succeed in that area, and provide a minor upgrade over either starter. Still, a first round pick is a steep price to pay for a marginal upgrade.

The only reason that the Redskins should potentially think about selecting Vander Esch is if they are considering running more 4-3 looks and will have three linebackers on the field. That doesn’t seem to be likely, as Greg Manusky runs a 3-4 defense and Foster wouldn’t necessarily fit well in that system.

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Perhaps the interest in Vander Esch is just a smoke screen. Or, perhaps he is one of the top options with this selection. Still, the Redskins have to understand that they don’t have a need at linebacker and they have to fill a need with this selection. They can’t afford to take Vander Esch over a guy like Da’Ron Payne or Vita Vea, though being interested in Vander Esch is completely fine and sensible.

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