The NFL draft is an event where dreams come true for many young men, not just financially but also in terms of making it to the big leagues.
There is no shortage of underdog stories in the NFL, and there may be a new one brewing for the Dallas Cowboys.
In the sixth round, they took Deuce Vaughn, a running back from Kansas State University who is just 5-foot-5, yet had a productive college career there.
His father Chris is a scout for the Cowboys, and when the pick was made, he embraced owner Jerry Jones and his son Stephen Jones, who is the team’s COO, executive vice president and director of player personnel.
.@dallascowboys scout Chris Vaughn gave Stephen Jones & Jerry Jones a big hug when they drafted his son, Deuce Vaughn. ❤️
📺: 2023 #NFLDraft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/D3EqkrKLy4 pic.twitter.com/yVqPz6soaQ— NFL (@NFL) April 29, 2023
Fans felt the Cowboys may have found a diamond in the rough.
Really good pick
— siym (@SiymCard) April 29, 2023
@JLev66 deuce deuce baby, what a great late round pick
— NDA (@AceAssad18) April 29, 2023
Congrats to Deuce and Dad! Love Deuce here with K-State! All the best!
— KC IRONFAN (@KCIronFan) April 29, 2023
This fan noted that the elder Vaughn is a class act.
That is awesome for Chris. One of the good guys in football. Saw him last year at the Senior Bowl for the first time in probably 10 years or so (since my days at Ark.). He immediately recognized me and came over to visit.
— Jason Suitt (@Jmsuitt) April 29, 2023
Pro football is a brutal and violent sport for men of above-average size, and naturally many will question whether the younger Vaughn will hold up at the next level.
But at Kansas State, he was a star.
He ran for 1,558 yards and nine touchdowns last season, and in 2021 he had 1,404 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns while averaging 5.5 yards per carry in his three years with the Jayhawks.
The younger Vaughn also added 116 receptions, 1,280 receiving yards and nine receiving touchdowns in 27 college games.
With Ezekiel Elliott gone and first-time Pro Bowler Tony Pollard the new RB1 in Dallas, the team could use some productive and reliable depth for its running back room.
As of now, Vaughn is slated to be the Cowboys’ fourth-string running back, but perhaps it wouldn’t surprise too many people if he ends up moving up on the team’s depth chart.
