Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch may be one of the best young linebackers in the NFL.

But, that didn't stop tight end Dalton Schultz from driving the Boise State product into the ground during Saturday's practice:

Dalton Schultz takes care of LVE pic.twitter.com/1Lav4jUl0v — John Owning (@JohnOwning) August 3, 2019

On this snap, Vander Esch is aligned with an outside shade over Schultz. Once the ball was snapped, Vander Esch initially veered outside in an attempt to influence Schultz outside so that he can come back inside with a spin move.

Nevertheless, Schultz did an outstanding job of maintaining a half-man relationship with Vander Esch as he veered outside, which put him in a perfect position to stymie the spin move.

From there, Schultz uses his outside hand to catch Vander Esch's shoulder as he attempts to complete the spin. With Schultz hanging on his shoulder, Vander Esch slightly loses his balance, enabling Schultz to drive him into the ground and win the rep.

It's not often that Vander Esch loses in one-on-one situations, but it's actually not surprising that Schultz was the man for the job. He's established himself as the best blocking tight end on the roster.

Schultz' half-man relationship is key here. A half-man relationship is important because it allows Schultz to cut off any inside moves (as he did in the above clip). Or, if the defender chooses an outside rush, he can use the defender's momentum against him, pushing the defender past the apex of the quarterback's drop.

When asked about his win against Vander Esch, Schultz noted that it "was a lot better rep than last year."

It's always important to stay mindful of the fact that this is a single rep, but having said that, it was a great demonstration of Schultz's blocking prowess against one of the best LBs in the league.

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Twitter: @JohnOwning