Misgivings about Deuce Vaughn

[ActualCowboysFan]

There always seem to be guys who look good, then disappoint. Guys like Waletsko, Wright, Fehoko, Biadasz, and Joseph may not have looked like studs, but they looked better they've so far turned out to be.

Walentzko has been injured and Biadasz is actually good

 

[TheHerd]

I watched a couple of games with Deuce Vaughn, and although he has some wiggle, and broke off some good runs in college, he also has an awful lot of plays where he gets stopped at the line of scrimmage. Due to his slight build, he gets swallowed up easily. I expect he will have an awful lot of carries in the NFL that go for zero yards - more than fans will be willing to tolerate.

He’s a great story, and I wish the kid well. But just based on their bodies of work to date, I have more trust that Ronald Jones will be a better back up to Pollard than Vaughn. Of course, I am MORE THAN WILLING to be wrong, but I don’t have a lot of hope that Vaughn will become a meaningful contributor in the Cowboys offense - at least not until he bulks up considerably. But even if he does, he still doesn’t have the break-away speed that you’d like to see in a backup gadget type RB.

Sorry to fans of Deuce, but that’s my honest opinion. I would have preferred picking Tucker out of Syracuse.

I am not a college football watcher so I don't have anything to say from personal observations, but this tweet seems to disagree with your breakaway speed comment:

 

[CouchCoach]

Management has a lot more respect for Ronald Jones than most of the fans do. That's why they waited late to take a RB and he's a potential STer as well.

 

[KingintheNorth]

I'm amazed by the number of Cowboys fans, here and Twitter, who think the team will take the league by storm with the Running Back combo of Tony Pollard, Deuce Vaughn (6th round pick), and Hunter Luepke (undrafted free agent).

I like those young players, but thinking that an undrafted guy and a 5'5" 6th round pick are going to have an immediate impact seems a tad overly optimistic.

 

[Typhus]

This many discussions for a 5'5 6th round RB. It's really weird how attached members here get to skill players.

Its not about the feel good story, Duece is a very skilled weapon, like a very nice 22 caliber.
Used properly could be very nice weapon in this offense.

I watched him rip my Sooners and the rest of the Big 12 apart for the last few years, playing on a K-State team that isn't known for being loaded with talent. I worry about his slight build, but I know he has the ability to do some real damage if called upon. It isn't his game I'm worried about. If his body can handle the grind, he has a chance to be really good. Pretty big if though.

If used properly Duece has the juice.

 

[Typhus]

I'm amazed by the number of Cowboys fans, here and Twitter, who think the team will take the league by storm with the Running Back combo of Tony Pollard, Deuce Vaughn (6th round pick), and Hunter Luepke (undrafted free agent).

I like those young players, but thinking that an undrafted guy and a 5'5" 6th round pick are going to have an immediate impact seems a tad overly optimistic.

You apparently vastly overvalue RBs.

 

[Momanpr100]

Deuce is a powerhouse. You'd think at his size he'd fall over with a stiff wind but his short compact frame combined with elite contact balance makes him tougher to bring down than you would think.

I'm not suggesting he's Marshawn Lynch but he is not this frail scatback some think.

Maurice Jones Drew vibes

 

[KingintheNorth]

You apparently vastly overvalue RBs.

Sure.

Top rushing teams last year

Bears - David Montgomery (3rd round pick) 5th year, Khalil Herbert (6th round pick) 2nd year
Ravens - JK Dobbins (2nd round pick) 3rd year, Kenyan Drake (3rd round pick) 7th year, Gus Edwards (Undrafted) 5th year
Falcons - Tyler Allgeier (5th) Rookie, Cordarelle Patterson (1st) 10th year
Giants - Saquan Barkley (1st) 5th year, Matt Breida (Undrafted) 6th year
Browns - Nick Chubb (2nd) 5th year, Kareem Hunt (3rd) 6th year
49ers - Christian McCaffrey (1st) 6th year, Jeff Wilson (Undrafted) 5th year, Elijah Mitchell (6th) 2nd year
Cowboys - Tony Pollard (4th) 4th year, Ezekiel Elliott (1st) 7th year

* Also, the top two rushing teams had QB's lead the team in rushing.

Asking two rookies, one drafted 212th and one not drafted at all, to come in and be immediately effective is a huge ask. Throw in Pollard coming off a late-season ACL injury and it ranks right up there with the "anyone can run behind this line" and "You don't need a #1 WR" thinking that cost this team a wasted season.

Hoping that Pollard is healthy, and Ronald Jones can be effective, especially early in the year. Counting on two unheralded rookies is the same, no accountability leadership type errors that keeps holding this team back.

 

[Creeper]

His strength to me doesn't seem to be his speed, but his shiftiness. Emmitt wasn't a particularly fast back, but he had great vision and shiftiness to find and get through holes. Of course, he also had underrated power to finish that I don't believe Vaughn will have. Vaughn is going to have to do a good job navigating traffic. Find those holes and pop through them. He may not be able to outrun the defense like Pollard, but he can be effective if his shiftiness makes it difficult to get a bead on him.

I do not disagree with this, but he will not see the holes in the NFL he saw in college. Emmitt was special and one of a kind.

 

[khiladi]

The same issue was with Saquon Barkley, which contrary to popular belief, turned out to be true even in his pro career. He had the highest rate of stuffed yardage for negative runs two years in arow, prior to last season and was like that before his major injury.

There’s no doubting Barkley’s big-play ability, but he’s also one of the most indecisive runners in the league. His tendency to hunt for the big play, rather than take what’s given, creates negative plays.

When running into a box with six or fewer defenders (typically a favorable situation), Barkley has been stuffed for zero or negative yards on 25.6% of his carries the past two seasons, the league’s highest rate, per TruMedia.

Over that same time span, every other Giants running back has combined for a rate of just 10.9%.

https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.c...aquon-barkley-player-prop-rushing-yards-2022/

 

[gimmesix]

I do not disagree with this, but he will not see the holes in the NFL he saw in college. Emmitt was special and one of a kind.

No doubt on Emmitt. Not comparing them other than the fact that it's not all about speed.

 

[conner01]

Perfectly describes a HOFer - Barry Sanders.

Not saying Vaughn is Sanders in any way.

Sanders was much bigger but size isn’t important if you can’t catch them lol
He’s a guy who’s not gonna pound it up the middle 10-15 times a game but if there’s a lane he will explode into it. He’s not a guy that breaks tackles but you see him get out of tackles some
He’s not a bell cow but he can be a big play guy in the passing game as well as running
I don’t expect he’s gonna impact much this year because pollard does much the same with more size and power. But pollard may not be here past this year

 

[Typhus]

Sure.

Top rushing teams last year

Bears - David Montgomery (3rd round pick) 5th year, Khalil Herbert (6th round pick) 2nd year
Ravens - JK Dobbins (2nd round pick) 3rd year, Kenyan Drake (3rd round pick) 7th year, Gus Edwards (Undrafted) 5th year
Falcons - Tyler Allgeier (5th) Rookie, Cordarelle Patterson (1st) 10th year
Giants - Saquan Barkley (1st) 5th year, Matt Breida (Undrafted) 6th year
Browns - Nick Chubb (2nd) 5th year, Kareem Hunt (3rd) 6th year
49ers - Christian McCaffrey (1st) 6th year, Jeff Wilson (Undrafted) 5th year, Elijah Mitchell (6th) 2nd year
Cowboys - Tony Pollard (4th) 4th year, Ezekiel Elliott (1st) 7th year

* Also, the top two rushing teams had QB's lead the team in rushing.

Asking two rookies, one drafted 212th and one not drafted at all, to come in and be immediately effective is a huge ask. Throw in Pollard coming off a late-season ACL injury and it ranks right up there with the "anyone can run behind this line" and "You don't need a #1 WR" thinking that cost this team a wasted season.

Hoping that Pollard is healthy, and Ronald Jones can be effective, especially early in the year. Counting on two unheralded rookies is the same, no accountability leadership type errors that keeps holding this team back.

Its a nice list, I already know it, Drake is a FA currently btw, but good list nonetheless.
Im not even suggesting this backfield is done at all yet.

 

[conner01]

The same issue was with Saquon Barkley, which contrary to popular belief, turned out to be true even in his pro career. He had the highest rate of stuffed yardage for negative runs two years in arow, prior to last season and was like that before his major injury.



https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.c...aquon-barkley-player-prop-rushing-yards-2022/

Feast or famine
Nothing wrong with that if there is as much of one as the other

 

[Creeper]

No doubt on Emmitt. Not comparing them other than the fact that it's not all about speed.

I agree, it is about vision, quickness, and burst. I believe Deuce has all of them. Still, I am not jumping onboard the bus just yet. I want to see him in a few practices and preseason games against other NFL players. I see a role for him but it is going to be limited. I hope I am pleasantly surprised.

 

[gimmesix]

Throw in Pollard coming off a late-season ACL injury and it ranks right up there with the "anyone can run behind this line" and "You don't need a #1 WR" thinking that cost this team a wasted season.

Hoping that Pollard is healthy, and Ronald Jones can be effective, especially early in the year. Counting on two unheralded rookies is the same, no accountability leadership type errors that keeps holding this team back.

Small correction: Pollard broke his fibula. In some ways, that's an easier injury for skill players to come back from than an ACL tear because it doesn't have as great of an impact on a joint.

 

[gimmesix]

I agree, it is about vision, quickness, and burst. I believe Deuce has all of them. Still, I am not jumping onboard the bus just yet. I want to see him in a few practices and preseason games against other NFL players. I see a role for him but it is going to be limited. I hope I am pleasantly surprised.

He's a late-round back. I'm not expecting anything. Just hoping. I would have preferred Dallas to have done more to secure a No. 2 behind Pollard. Then, anything Vaughn gives us would be gravy or perhaps reason next year to not re-sign Pollard.

 

[Runwildboys]

I do not disagree with this, but he will not see the holes in the NFL he saw in college. Emmitt was special and one of a kind.

It might help to have him run behind a FB.

 

[CowboyRoy]

That is not good. Feast or famine

Until we see him on the actual roster, I will not think too much about an undersized 7th rounder.

Why because one poster watched 3 games and didnt like him? Lol

Most fans dont understand football well enough.

If hes getting stopped at or behind the line often it could just as well be an oline issue.

Deuce is a guy you want to give the ball out in space. Screens, draws, dump offs, flares ect….ect….

Where he can make one guy miss and make plays

I definitely wanted them to take a bigger back like a roschon or evans. But hes interesting in a committee approach if they use him correctly.

 

[dsturgeon]

Why because one poster watched 3 games and didnt like him? Lol

Most fans dont understand football well enough.

If hes getting stopped at or behind the line often it could just as well be an oline issue.

Deuce is a guy you want to give the ball out in space. Screens, draws, dump offs, flares ect….ect….

Where he can make one guy miss and make plays

I definitely wanted them to take a bigger back like a roschon or evans. But hes interesting in a committee approach if they use him correctly.

I am cautious about any 5-7th round pick, especially a 7th. Talking about them having a significant role is a big step up from them making the active roster

RB is a little different, but he is getting some big talk