Cowboys RB Deuce Vaughn 'Belongs in NFL' - What's His Key to Success?
One of the greatest moments in Dallas Cowboys draft history was the video of team scout Chris Vaughn making the call to his son - Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn - to let him know he was about to be drafted by his father's employer.
"I’ve heard from a number of people and people who were watching the draft that weren’t truly football people,” Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay said via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “There’s a lot of people have been in touch with and it was one of the greatest moments not only in sports but in life that I’ve been around because there was just true passion for the people, Chris Vaughn and then his son."
Vaughn's college football story is one of an underdog, with a 5-5, 179-pound frame, and his success at the next level will be even tougher.
“All you got to do is put on the tape and watch the kid play to let you know that he belonged and he belongs in the NFL,” McClay said. “He deserved to get picked and we had the opportunity to pick the value that was good for us and it was the best football player on the board.”
Enter Reel Athletics. It's a sports tech and data company that analyzes video to measure athleticism so coaches and scouts can evaluate talent more accurately.
Vaughn’s score of 96.7 is the best among all Cowboys drafted players, and was third among running backs, behind only Bijan Robinson (98.3) and Tank Bigsby (97.2), who were drafted in the first and third rounds
Even more impressive is Vaughn's position at four spots ahead of Jahmyr Gibbs (92.1) who was drafted in the first round.
“Deuce Vaughn is unique in two ways,” said Chris Yates, founder of Reel Athletics via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “First, he has elite change of direction. His average change of direction time is under 0.3 seconds which is top one percent of 3,900 running backs in our database and the best in the 2023 draft class. Second, Vaughn has high-end breakaway speed. We clocked him at a max speed of nearly 22 mph in Week 9 vs Oklahoma State."
Vaughn's NFL story is just beginning, and he may be fortunate that it's beginning with the Cowboys. If Dallas is smart - and we know it is - it will find a way to utilize Vaughn in the offensive game plan. It could be a win-win for both parties involved.
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