NFL Draft Vanderbilt Player Profile: Ke'Shawn Vaughn

The NFL Draft is here with the opening round beginning in just a few hours, and here's a preview of Vanderbilt running back Ke'Shawn Vaughn as he awaits his shot in professional football.

Author:
Greg Arias
Updated:
Apr 23, 2020 11:57 AM EDT
Original:
Apr 23, 2020

The wait for a real, live sporting event-even thought no one would run, jump or hit anything- is over as the 2020 NFL Draft will take the couch, basement, or in-home office later today in virtual mode.

It will be the most unique and unusual draft ever under the shelter-in-home mandates most states remain under, and there could certainly be some exciting developments because of possible technological issues. Still, none the less, we move forward.

While the Vanderbilt Commodores have four players available for selection in this draft class, it is widely believed that only three will hear their names called while the fourth could get a shot as an undrafted free-agent once training camps begin.

There are 32 teams in the NFL, and predicting with any amount of certainty where a player will be taken is a crapshoot, but then that's half the fun of mock drafts and projections like this.

Ke' Shawn Vaughn, the Nashville native and offensive leader in 2019, has long been held as the first Commodores player to be selected, but that might be changing as there has been talk of a rise by former teammate Jared Pinkney up some draft boards.

Regardless, Vaughn will be selected and get his shot. Where will Vaughn go, and which team will make his dream come true?

To find that, we turned to two sources for the breakdown.

Sports Illustrated's Bill Huber of Packer Central and up and coming draft and player evaluation expert, Justin Melo (@JustinM_NFL) of USA Today's Draft Wire & SB Nation's Music City Miracles. Melo personally interviewed 141 prospects this year, including 10-20 players he expects could be first-round picks.

Melo had this to say of the former Commodores runner.

Ke' Shawn Vaughn, RB, Vanderbilt

"Vaughn heads to the next level after compiling together two incredible seasons back-to-back in which he totaled more than 2,700 total yards and 24 touchdowns. Vaughn exploded onto the map as a junior in 2018 and was able to find similar success as a senior this past season as well. Vaughn is a tough, physical runner that has the overall build and skill-set to punish a defense. He's as aggressive as they come. Simply put, you're not going to "arm-tackle" Vaughn. Unfortunately, the athletic traits just aren't there. A lack of explosiveness may limit him at the next level, but Vaughn should find a role as a backup.".

Best Fit: Los Angeles Rams

"The Rams recently moved on from their star running back Todd Gurley. His release made sense, but it also created a huge hole in their backfield. The small and speedy Darrell Henderson should have every chance to establish himself as their lead running back, but adding a player like Vaughn would give the Rams a nice change of pace to what they currently have in their backfield."

As for Huber, he ranks Vaughn in the top 15 running backs in the class, listing him at No.8 overall.

No. 8: Ke' Shawn Vaughn, Vanderbilt (5-9 5/8, 214): Vaughn rushed for 1,024 yards in two seasons at Illinois and 2,272 yards in two years with Vanderbilt. His best season came in 2018 when the junior rushed for 1,244 yards, averaged 7.9 yards per carry and scored 14 total touchdowns. He rushed for 1,028 yards and had a career-high 28 catches as a senior.

Vaughn ran his 40 in 4.51 seconds, though his 8 7/8-inch hands might be below some teams' thresholds. His missed-tackle rate was 31 for every 100 touches, and he averaged 3.5 yards after contact per carry; both of those figures were among the best in the draft class. He thrived in a zone scheme and against boxes that were frequently loaded to stop him. He's ready-made for one key phase of the game. "Pass protection, that's the biggest thing, especially in a league that you've got this quarterback getting paid $100 million behind you," he said. "You get him hurt, no job for you. So, that's the biggest thing as far as what I need – I won't say improvement – but I know that's the biggest obstacle that I have to achieve."

Vaughn has also been linked to the Tennessee Titans, who need a back to replace Dion Lewis and play behind last seasons league rushing champ, Derrick Henry.

How much of the Vaughn to Titans chatter might be real? Consider that both Joe Rexrode and John Glennon, who cover the Titans in Nashville for The Athletic, each have him going to Tennessee in their draft day morning final mock draft.