Who is Deuce Vaughn's father Chris? Exploring new Cowboys RB's link with franchise
Deuce Vaughn was chosen by the Dallas Cowboys with the 212th pick of this year's draft, but that is not what fans are talking about.
Before the draft, the Kansas State Wildcat was immediately productive as a rookie, rushing for 642 yards and four touchdowns. He was also prolific as a receiver, catching 25 passes, including two touchdowns.
Vaughn had his best performance as a sophomore, rushing for 1,404 yards and 18 touchdowns, as well as four receiving touchdowns. He remained prolific as a junior, rushing for over 1,000 yards again.
However, his potential is now what fans are talking about. Rather, they are talking about his father Chris. But why is that?
Who is Chris Vaughn? Exploring his links with his son's new team
As it turns out, Chris Vaughn is a member of the Dallas Cowboys front office. More specifically, he is an assistant director of college scouting. Like his son, he has an affinity for football. He played collegiately for Murray State before transitioning to coaching, holding assistant gigs at Arkansas, Ole Miss, Memphis, and Texas.
Earlier this month, ESPN's Todd Archer published a feature on Chris, where he mentioned having scouted and graded hundreds of collegiate players, except one - his son. When asked why, he said:
"I appreciate them doing that. Not that I think that would be an issue, but we just took that part of the scenario out."
Will McClay, the Cowboys' vice president of player personnel, elaborated:
"It's an interesting dynamic. For those guys who work under him or are his job mates, they don't want to talk bad about his kid."
On Draft Day, however, it was Chris himself who made the call to his son, declaring him a Cowboy. Owner/GM Jerry Jones and head coach Mike McCarthy were also present at the call:
#CowboysNation, get your tissues ready 🥹🤧
Chris Vaughn of the scouting department made the call to his son, @C_Vaughn22, to tell him he’s officially a member of the #DallasCowboys 📞
#CowboysDraft | @ATT https://t.co/MszgQpRmhl
The Cowboys also posted a throwback picture of the Vaughns:
It's a family affair. 💙⭐️
#CowboysDraft | #FootballisFamily https://t.co/Zq2l782cb0
What does Deuce Vaughn bring to the Cowboys?
With Ezekiel Elliott gone, Tony Pollard, who broke out last season, will be the Cowboys' primary rusher in 2023. However, Pollard is on the franchise tag, meaning he may be gone afterwards, and the remaining rushers on the roster have not been as productive as Elliott and Pollard have been.
All of this means an opportunity for Deuce Vaughn to shine. Like Pollard, he has proven himself to be a dual-threat running back who can be as prolific a scorer in the air as he is on the ground. If he breaks out immediately, either he can become the new starting RB for the Cowboys, or they can trade him to a team that badly needs a quality running back, like the Arizona Cardinals.