From 8-man football in high school to a walk-on at Boise State, and now, a first-round NFL Draft pick.
On Thursday, former Bronco linebacker Leighton Vander Esch was selected 19th in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys.
Vander Esch, the 2017 Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, was among the 22 players invited to attend the draft in Arlington, Texas. Meanwhile, 1,500 miles away in his hometown of Riggins, dozens of locals gathered for a watch party and celebrated his selection. Signs throughout the town of barely more than 400 read "Leighton is our No.