2018 NFL Mock Draft: Browns land Baker Mayfield

RALEIGH, NC - NOVEMBER 04: North Carolina State Wolfpack defensive end Bradley Chubb (9) enters the field before the game between the Clemson Tigers and the NC State Wolfpack on November 04, 2017 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, NC. (Photo by William Howard/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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Leighton Vander Esch. 32. player. 54. . LB. Boise State

Following the devastating season-ending injury to Carson Wentz, many pundits wrote off the Philadelphia Eagles as true Super Bowl contenders. But after knocking off the defending champs under the leadership of backup Nick Foles and head coach Doug Pederson, there’s no doubting that the Eagles are here to stay at the top of the NFC.

With linebacker Nigel Bradham slated to hit free agency, Philadelphia could seek his replacement at the end of the first round via Boise State’s Leighton Vander Esch.

Vander Esch was the 2017 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and tallied an incredible 141 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in his final season with the Broncos. Vander Esch is a long, rangy linebacker whose monster production is no fluke at all. He possesses great burst and athleticism and plays with great overall instincts both as a rusher and run defender.

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Despite just one season of starting experience, Vander Esch has all the tools to become an elite linebacker at the NFL level and it’s easy to see why he could land even higher than this spot on draft day.

It’s not often that a team gets to look forward to getting their franchise quarterback back after winning a Super Bowl without him, but the Eagles will do just that and look to nail their draft class in the hopes of repeating as champs in 2018.

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