Vander Esch vs. Brian Urlacher - Stats Comparison

T-RO said:

I recall at least two draft analysts who compared Vander Esch to Brian Urlacher, and that was before the season. That seemed a bit of a reach consider Urlacher is in the Hall of Fame.

I decided to take a few minutes and take LVE's current stats and project them out to seasonal totals assuming he plays the remaining 4 games. Then compare that with Urlacher's rookie season.

Solo Tackles:
LVE: 98
Urlacher: 101

Assist Tackles
LVE: 31
Urlacher: 24

Tackles for Loss
LVE: 3
Urlacher: 16

Interceptions
LVE: 3
Urlacher: 2

Passes Defended
LVE: 9
Urlacher: 5

Fumbles Recovered
LVE: 0
Urlacher: 0

Forced Fumbles
LVE: 0
Urlacher: 0

Sacks
LVE: 0
Urlacher: 8

QB Hits
LVE: 2
Urlacher: 8

In terms of tackles Leighton certainly measures up, though he hasn't yet shown Brian's penchant for behind the line of scrimmage tackles. They both came out of the gate their rookie years tackling like soldiers.

Clearly Urlacher did a lot of successful quarterback hunting, which is something that the Cowboys don't really even look to try with Vander Esch. If Dallas blitzes a linebacker it's usually Jaylon taking those duties.

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mmohican29 said:

I will say this: this duo of LB'ers? I would not trade 3 consecutive #1 overall selections for.

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T-RO said:

I recall at least two draft analysts who compared Vander Esch to Brian Urlacher, and that was before the season. That seemed a bit of a reach consider Urlacher is in the Hall of Fame.

I decided to take a few minutes and take LVE's current stats and project them out to seasonal totals assuming he plays the remaining 4 games. Then compare that with Urlacher's rookie season.

Solo Tackles:
LVE: 98
Urlacher: 101

Assist Tackles
LVE: 31
Urlacher: 24

Tackles for Loss
LVE: 3
Urlacher: 16

Interceptions
LVE: 3
Urlacher: 2

Passes Defended
LVE: 9
Urlacher: 5

Fumbles Recovered
LVE: 0
Urlacher: 0

Forced Fumbles
LVE: 0
Urlacher: 0

Sacks
LVE: 0
Urlacher: 8

QB Hits
LVE: 2
Urlacher: 8

In terms of tackles Leighton certainly measures up, though he hasn't yet shown Brian's penchant for behind the line of scrimmage tackles. They both came out of the gate their rookie years tackling like soldiers.

Clearly Urlacher did a lot of successful quarterback hunting, which is something that the Cowboys don't really even look to try with Vander Esch. If Dallas blitzes a linebacker it's usually Jaylon taking those duties.

Click to expand...

T-RO said:

I recall at least two draft analysts who compared Vander Esch to Brian Urlacher, and that was before the season. That seemed a bit of a reach consider Urlacher is in the Hall of Fame.

I decided to take a few minutes and take LVE's current stats and project them out to seasonal totals assuming he plays the remaining 4 games. Then compare that with Urlacher's rookie season.

Solo Tackles:
LVE: 98
Urlacher: 101

Assist Tackles
LVE: 31
Urlacher: 24

Tackles for Loss
LVE: 3
Urlacher: 16

Interceptions
LVE: 3
Urlacher: 2

Passes Defended
LVE: 9
Urlacher: 5

Fumbles Recovered
LVE: 0
Urlacher: 0

Forced Fumbles
LVE: 0
Urlacher: 0

Sacks
LVE: 0
Urlacher: 8

QB Hits
LVE: 2
Urlacher: 8

In terms of tackles Leighton certainly measures up, though he hasn't yet shown Brian's penchant for behind the line of scrimmage tackles. They both came out of the gate their rookie years tackling like soldiers.

Clearly Urlacher did a lot of successful quarterback hunting, which is something that the Cowboys don't really even look to try with Vander Esch. If Dallas blitzes a linebacker it's usually Jaylon taking those duties.

Click to expand...

erod said:

Vander Each is really nothing like Urlacher.

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CF74 said:

How bout Sean Lee’s tackles behind los...

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T-RO said:

Below is the same comparison with Lee in his rookie season. Keep in mind, Lee didn't start any games his rookie year!

Solo Tackles:
LVE: 98
Lee: 20

Assist Tackles
LVE: 31
Lee: 5

Tackles for Loss
LVE: 3
Lee: 3

Interceptions
LVE: 3
Lee: 2

Passes Defended
LVE: 9
Lee: 2

Fumbles Recovered
LVE: 0
Lee: 0

Forced Fumbles
LVE: 0
Lee: 1

Sacks
LVE: 0
Lee: 0

QB Hits
LVE: 2
Lee: 0

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mmohican29 said:

He may or may not ever be Urlacher great, but he's a certain All-Pro. He will captain this defense for the next 10 years.

His instincts in space are almost already unmatched in the game today, and his arm length mitigates any false steps in pursuit. I've never seen a kid tackle as consistently well in their first season.

We know Sean Lee is in LVE's ear all the time, but I think Jaylon Smith has had A LOT to do with LVE's fast development as well. #54 has brought a lot of confidence to LVE's game and should be credited for it.

The NFL is not for the meek, and I think Jaylon's "pre-destined" personality/ hyper confidence has brought out more aggression and energy than LVE maybe knew he was capable of.

The two together are absolutely electric and with Jaylon's health back, he's a different player as well. He is hammering people and really playing with fantastic passion. He still takes false steps here and again, but he has a 265 lb rocket fueled giant squid next to him.

I will say this: this duo of LB'ers? I would not trade 3 consecutive #1 overall selections for.

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