Boise State LB Leighton Vander Esch Declares For NFL Draft
The 2017 Defensive Player of the Year led Boise State to a Mountain West title and could be the next blue and orange great in the NFL.
The Broncos have lots of young talent, but they will miss their defensive leader.
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Less than a week after leading the Boise State Broncos to a convincing Las Vegas Bowl victory over the Oregon Ducks, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch today announced that he will forgo his senior season and enter the 2018 NFL Draft.
First reported by the Idaho Press-Tribune, Vander Esch emerged as one of the Mountain West’s premier defenders in 2017, racking up 141 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and four forced fumbles in 14 games. He was named the conference’s defensive player of the year and the defensive MVP of the Mountain West football championship game for his efforts, then cleaned up against the Ducks for good measure with 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble in his last game.
According to Blue Turf Sports, the early projection for Vander Esch is as first or second-round selection, but we’ll know more once the NFL Combine begins on February 27, 2018.