Leighton Vander is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boise State and was drafted by the Cowboys in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Vander Esch spent his childhood in the town of Riggins, Idaho, where he was born. His ancestors came from the Netherlands.
He was a student at Salmon River High School in Riggins, where he participated in track and field, eight-man football, and basketball. His class of 2014 had a total of eleven individuals that graduated.
Vander Esch’s positions on the football team included quarterback and middle linebacker. He completed 121 passes out of 199 attempts, which is a completion rate of 60.8%. He threw for 2,155 yards and 28 touchdowns while only throwing one interception.
In addition to that, he had 157 carries for 1,565 yards and 34 rushing touchdowns, 131 tackles (85 solo), five interceptions, five fumble recoveries, and four defensive scores. He also had four defensive touchdowns.
During his team’s victory over Lighthouse Christian School in the state championship game, which they won 53-38, he racked up more than 500 yards of total offense and scored all five of his team’s offensive touchdowns.
Leighton Vander Esch Stats: How Good Is Leighton Vander Esch?
Career stats
| Year | Team | COMB | AST | Sack | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Cowboys | 57 | 25 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Cowboys | 77 | 29 | 1.0 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| 2020 | Cowboys | 60 | 28 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | Cowboys | 72 | 29 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Cowboys | 140 | 38 | 0.0 | 2 | 56 | 0 |
| Career | 406 | 149 | 3.5 | 3 | 63 | 0 |
What Surgery Did Leighton Vander Esch Have?
Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch suffered a clean break to his collarbone, according to a source who reviewed Vander Esch’s CT scan and spoke with NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
Vander Esch is scheduled to have surgery and should be able to make a full recovery within six to eight weeks.
The issues that have arisen with Vander Esch’s health have been prevalent during the early stages of his outstanding career in the NFL. The issues revolve around a neck injury that he sustained.
Vander Esch was only able to participate in nine games because of the neck condition he had last year, which eventually led to him having surgery over the off-season. In his rookie year, he played in all 16 games of the season.