By 
FRISCO, Texas — For Deuce Vaughn, the difficult part begins now.
As much as his choice in the 6th round by the Dallas Cowboys ended up being a feel-good viral minute when his dad, Chris, the group’s assistant director of college searching, made the telephone call to inform his kid he would be the group’s choice, the story grows even higher if Vaughn can come close to duplicating what he did at Kansas State.
The Cowboys will hold their novice mini-camp this weekend, providing their draft choices and college complimentary representatives their very first take a look at how things run, however without much — if any, depending upon the weather condition — real on-field work. It will be the 3rd time first-round defensive deal with Mazi Smith will be at The Star, having actually gone to the franchise prior to the draft and holding a press conference the day after he was chosen No. 26 general.
For Vaughn, the 5-foot-5, 179-pound running back, strolling the halls of The Star will likewise not be brand-new. He has actually been to his brand-new workplace a couple of times with his daddy. Now he will have a locker and a uniform — No. 42, given that his preferred number, No. 22, is off limitations since it came from the NFL’s all-time leading rush, Emmitt Smith.
In 2023, the Cowboys figure to change the running back technique they have actually had for the bulk of a years — when they had DeMarco Murray, Darren McFadden and Ezekiel Elliott dealing with the bulk of the brings — to a more varied rotation.
Tony Pollard had 1,007 backyards in 2015 with a career-high 193 brings. They likewise have Ronald Jones, who was signed as a totally free representative from the Kansas City Chiefs. He had a career-high 192 brings in 2020 while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ending up with 978 backyards. With Malik Davis and Rico Dowdle likewise on the lineup, it will be on Vaughn to reveal he can manage anything and whatever the Cowboys ask.
“I think clearly Deuce can play in the normal flow of our offense on first and second down,” coach Mike McCarthy stated. “I think, stating the obvious, as far as the [pass] protection component, we’ve got to work together there, but there are some very distinct situational thoughts and concepts that I have in mind already. [Versatile former Packers receiver] Randall Cobb-ish type things I’ve done in the past. Yeah, we’ll definitely have opportunities for him to take advantage of his productivity. He’s a dynamic player.”
At 5-5, he was the fastest gamer on record (given that 2003) at the NFL searching integrate, however his production at K-State matched a few of the very best Power 5 running backs, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Since 2015, Vaughn is among 7 running backs to publish a minimum of 1,400 backyards hurrying and 400 backyards getting, signing up with Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Saquon Barkley, Travis Etienne Jr., Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Najee Harris.
Vaughn had 29 video games with 100 skirmish backyards or more, 3rd most in Big 12 history. Only Ricky Williams (25), Cedric Benson (25), Darren Sproles (24) and Adrian Peterson (22) had more 100-yard hurrying video games in the Big 12 than Vaughn.
“I want to say that with my evaluator cap on, he can make plays a couple different ways. He’s demonstrated that,” Chris Vaughn stated. “You don’t have to play him necessarily differently because he is a smaller guy. His biggest runs were inside, downhill runs, as opposed to always using him in space or always using him outside. I’m not trying to be the coach here when I say that but what I’m saying is he’s going to come give everything he’s got.
“He’s going to wear the coaches out as far as, ‘You want to meet? You want to watch? You want to talk?’ He loves everything about the process … [He’s] a person that’s eager for the opportunity to show exactly what he can do with the doubters around the league. Not in this building, because we took him, but the other 31 teams. That will be a natural chip on his shoulder in wanting to show and prove he can do at this level, just like he did at the college level.”
The heartwarming phone call between father and son 📲🏈
Witness Cowboys scout Chris Vaughn draft his son Deuce 💙
(via @dallascowboys) pic.twitter.com/HZwHVmXTmn
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) April 30, 2023
McCaffrey, 5-11, 205 pounds and now with the San Francisco 49ers, was the first player Vaughn mentioned when asked if there was a player he modeled his game after.
“Just because of his versatility,” Deuce stated. “The way that he was able to run in between tight spaces, run the ball inside and outside. They split him out wide. Even coming out of high school, watching him and the way he was so versatile and just did everything. A true all-purpose back. He’s someone that I’ve always looked up to and watched film on just because of the way he’s been used.”
But the running back pointed out usually when it concerns Vaughn is Sproles, who preceded Vaughn at K-State prior to a 15-year NFL profession with the San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles.
At 5-6, 190 pounds, Sproles was a three-time Pro Bowler. He ran for 3,552 backyards, had 4,840 getting backyards and scored 64 goals: 23 hurrying, 32 getting, 7 punt returns, 2 kick returns.
Vaughn is 2nd to Sproles in hurrying backyards (3,604) and all-purpose backyards (5,029) in K-State history. The 2 have actually constructed a strong relationship that started in Vaughn’s sophomore year of college. When the Cowboys selected Vaughn, Sproles was among the very first to text him.
“He said he was proud of me. He said to keep the short backs alive. I told him I’d make him proud,” Deuce stated. “He said that the work starts now and that everything’s out in front of me. I’ve just got to go work hard for it.”
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