Leighton Vander Esch #1 Pick One of Three Mountain West First Round Selections

The dream became reality for the 8-man football player from Riggins, Idaho as Leighton Vander Esch was selected by the Dallas as the 19th overall pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Vander Esch, a Boise State walk on who earned a scholarship and then had a junior season that catapulted him into the NFL spotlight and ultimately made him a first round selection.

Vander Esch joins four other Boise State Broncos taken in the first round, Randy Clady, Shea McClellen, Doug Martin and Kyle Wilson.

Vandeer Esch was one of three Mountain West players taken in the 2018 first round.

Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen was taken by the Buffalo Bills with the 7th overall pick. Allen spent the day worrying about racist tweets that surfaced from his high school days and how they might affect his draft status. He apologized saying he was young and dumb and the tweets did not reflect his true feelings. When all was said and done Allen is in a good place with the Bills.

One of the biggest surprises in the first round was the 27th selection by the Seattle Seahawks of San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny. Penny is not huge at 5-11 but he's one of the best open field runners and he has great hands coming out of the backfield making him another target for the quarterback.

The NFL Draft continues thru Saturday and at least one more Boise State player has a chance to be drafted in receiver Cedric Wilson. Tight end Jake Roh is hopeful but will most likely settle for a free agent contract.