Better Dallas Cowboys LB: Predator or Wolf Hunter?
By Joel Deering
Dallas Cowboys LB Leighton Vander Esch finished his rookie campaign with a stat line of 140 total tackles (102 solo and 38 assist), seven pass deflections and two INTs. LVE quickly earned himself the name Wolf Hunter, primarily because of his ability to hunt down the guy with the ball in open space.
On several occasions during the 2018 season, we saw LVE come up huge with game saving tackles in one-on-one situations.
Smith is a good open space tackler who flies around the field, but Vander Esch may be on a whole different level in this category. Vander Esch always seemed to know where the ball was going to be. He always seemed to know what the ball carrier was going to do, and then he’d stop them in their tracks. While Smith was off rushing the passer, LVE was the guy making the open field tackle when the pass rush didn’t work.
In addition to his exceptional tackling ability, Vander Esch excelled in pass coverage. Smith also has the ability to cover, as evidenced by his four pass deflections on the season, but this might be another area where Vander Esch is just a little bit better.
LVE recored seven pass deflections during the season. In addition to those seven pass deflections, Vander Esch recorded two INTs. He may not have forced any fumbles like Smith, but rather created turnovers in a different way.
Vander Esch may not be as fast as Smith, but he’s longer. He used that length to record the ninth ranked coverage grade (81.0) on the second most targets (90) at his position, according to Pro Football Focus.
Pro Football Focus also tells us that only four LBs in the NFL last season earned grades of 80.0 or higher in both run defense and coverage. One of those four LBs was Leighton Vander Esch. The Wolf Hunter has a nose for the ball, regardless of the play or where he is on the field.