Darren Sproles

beware_d-ware

Well-Known Member
Messages
7,867
Reaction score
9,670
Donnell Pumphrey is the best comparison for Deuce that I've heard.

It's hard to find another uber-productive volume rusher at Deuce's size, but that's about as close as you're going to get. I'll embed the RAS compare scores later once I'm not on a work computer, but they are dead identical too.
 
Last edited:

vicjagger

Well-Known Member
Messages
4,110
Reaction score
1,934
Darren Sproles played from 2005-2019 and for the last three years of his career he averaged 5 games/season. He is 5'6" 190#. and gained a career total of 8392 yards from scrimmage 3552 rushing and 4840 receiving. He usually had more receiving yards than rushing yards in a season and his best season was 2011 with the Saints with 1313 total yards 87/603 rushing 6.9 Y/A and 86/710 receiving 8.3 Y/R with 173 total touches. He missed his second season with a broken ankle but other than that up until the last three seasons he only had one season where he missed three games and four that he missed one game.
5th all time in all purpose yards.

Ref:
McManus, Tim (October 6, 2019). "Darren Sproles moves to fifth in career all-purpose yards". 6abc Philadelphia. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
 

calicowboy54

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,858
Reaction score
1,399
Thats right.

If there's an accurate player comp for Vaughn, it's Sproles.
Ive said it a few times Deuce will need to put on about 15 - 20lbs to take the durability and handle the NFL season. i expect this 1st season he's going to get about 5 - 10 at the most touches a game. Im thinking more in the 2 - 5 level until he puts on some more muscle.
 

ghst187

Well-Known Member
Messages
15,722
Reaction score
11,572
Well whatever his 40 time is you don’t see him getting ran down from behind much, if ever in college. In fact, he is usually running away from people. His thing though isn’t the speed per se, it’s the fact he doesn’t appear to lose any of his top speed while making cuts…his college tape reminds more more of Reggie Bush than anyone because of the way he cuts without losing speed, the way he stops/starts instantly, and he’s catching the ball on a route as often as they are handing it to him. I’m not saying he will be a great pro but worth the gamble for sure. I don’t really think there is another college player with tape like his.
 

tm1119

Well-Known Member
Messages
9,939
Reaction score
8,681
Well whatever his 40 time is you don’t see him getting ran down from behind much, if ever in college. In fact, he is usually running away from people. His thing though isn’t the speed per se, it’s the fact he doesn’t appear to lose any of his top speed while making cuts…his college tape reminds more more of Reggie Bush than anyone because of the way he cuts without losing speed, the way he stops/starts instantly, and he’s catching the ball on a route as often as they are handing it to him. I’m not saying he will be a great pro but worth the gamble for sure. I don’t really think there is another college player with tape like his.
Is Duece Vaughn the only college RB you’ve ever watched? Because that’s the only way that statement makes any kind of sense
 

CalPolyTechnique

Well-Known Member
Messages
27,676
Reaction score
44,603
Boston Scott is another ball of muscle that weighs 200 pounds, almost 20 pound weight difference at the same height. Not the same build at all.

I think a comp for Duece is a guy the Cowboys loved and almost drafted (thankfully didn’t but whiffed on another dwarf in Switzer instead), Donell Pumphrey. Not saying he will completely bust like Pumphrey did, but he’s definitely going to have to be used in a special way to succeed…and also be a tough SOB, which there’s strong indication Duece is.
I don’t see Pumphrey and Vaughn as a comp. Pumphrey literally looked like a normal average sized dude (he was 5’-9”, 176 lbs). He looked like a slot receiver.

Vaughn is obviously shorter and more stout looking. In terms of build, I think he looks like a smaller version of Maurice Jones Drew.


IMG-0024.jpg
 

JIMMYBUFFETT

Skinwalker
Messages
3,466
Reaction score
5,717
There's been smallish backs who've gotten it done in the past. Warrick Dunn was 5'8 176lbs coming out and played in the NFL for 12 seasons missing only 12 career games. As one might expect he wasn't a TD machine as a small RB and only scored 49 career TDs yet averaged an outstanding 913 yards over those years, had 8 TDs over 50 yards, averaged 42 receptions a season, and had 15 receiving TDs. Dunn was a much faster back, but he wasn't built much differently save a couple inches and Tampa and Atlanta both made sure he didn't carry the ball but about 14 times a game.

Phillip Lindsay 5'8 190lbs is another smallish player who had limited success in the NFL. Yes both Lindsay and Dunn had a few inches on Vaughn, but we're talking about a depth running back here, not a wide receiver. Lindsay carved out a couple of really good seasons before his body size betrayed him. That said he averaged 4.95 a carry, scored 16 TDs, and 2048 yards in his first two seasons. Then yes, his size caught up with him.

Good football players who are coached correctly and put in the right situations can be effective at any size. I don't know that Deuce will even make the team, but I don't think it will have to do with his size if he doesn't. He's short not little, has gotten it done against bigger players at every level he's played, and plays a position where size might mean the very least.
 

tm1119

Well-Known Member
Messages
9,939
Reaction score
8,681
I don’t see Pumphrey and Vaughn as a comp. Pumphrey literally looked like a normal average sized dude (he was 5’-9”, 176 lbs). He looked like a slot receiver.

Vaughn is obviously shorter and more stout looking. In terms of build, I think he looks like a smaller version of Maurice Jones Drew.


IMG-0024.jpg
So 2” height difference….can’t compare. But 25 pounds of muscle is close enough? That makes literally 0 sense. “Smaller” doesn’t even come close to describing the difference in body types between MJD and Vaughn. Maybe they’d be similar if MJD contracted a debilitating disease and didn’t work out for 2 years straight.
 

Aerolithe_Lion

Well-Known Member
Messages
11,770
Reaction score
12,879
Sproles at Kansas State

cbbe76cd-71b3-4d32-838a-5c582b520a1a-696x751.jpg


Vaughn at Kansas State

shanetaylor_nfl-draft_cowboys-draft-kansas-state-rb-deuce-vaughn-with-212th-pick-2-1068x580.jpg
I don’t want to rain on the parade, but there may be a more appealing comparison you guys could find instead of Sproles.

You can point out what he became in NO and Philly 10 years later, but when he came into the league near Vaughn’s size he could barely crack the lineup and had major injury problems. Sproles had something like 50 career touches by his fourth year. He had to bulk up to 190 before he could really do anything at the pro level. Then that’s when things started to change for him. Skinny Sproles also had a really bad fumbling problem. Little guys have little hands
 

ghst187

Well-Known Member
Messages
15,722
Reaction score
11,572
Is Duece Vaughn the only college RB you’ve ever watched? Because that’s the only way that statement makes any kind of sense
Did you watch him at all?
Not saying no one else had great tape, obviously Bijan and Gibbs were fantastic but the sheer volume of Vaughn’s big plays throughout college and all the different ways he is beating people, I just found his tape more impressive than the rest. Perhaps expectations stemming from his size affect that too but he looks like he’s on turbo mode and the defenders aren’t.
 

CalPolyTechnique

Well-Known Member
Messages
27,676
Reaction score
44,603
So 2” height difference….can’t compare. But 25 pounds of muscle is close enough? That makes literally 0 sense. “Smaller” doesn’t even come close to describing the difference in body types between MJD and Vaughn. Maybe they’d be similar if MJD contracted a debilitating disease and didn’t work out for 2 years straight.
3” inches in height and not remotely the same physique.

Yeah, your comp was spot on.

You matched the weight and tried calling it a day.
 

Risen Star

Likes Collector
Messages
89,398
Reaction score
212,261
CowboysZone ULTIMATE Fan


Look at little Deuce.

I wonder if he's ever taken a group photo from any other position?

I don't know how common it is for a 6th round pick to attend one of these. Maybe he got in half price.
 

Risen Star

Likes Collector
Messages
89,398
Reaction score
212,261
CowboysZone ULTIMATE Fan
Donnell Pumphrey is the best comparison for Deuce that I've heard.

It's hard to find another uber-productive volume rusher at Deuce's size, but that's about as close as you're going to get. I'll embed the RAS compare scores later once I'm not on a work computer, but they are dead identical too.
Well hopefully that's a bad comparison.
 
Top