2020 NFL Draft Prospect – Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB Vanderbilt
Our NFL rookie profile series continues with this analysis of 2020 NFL Draft Prospect Ke’Shawn Vaugh, RB from Vanderbilt. We will continue to provide you with these in-depth rookie profiles and a ton of other fantasy football rookie analysis right up through the NFL Draft. Stay tuned, and stay ahead of your league!
Not all running back classes are created equal. Some years we only have a few prospects with a realistic chance of developing into useable fantasy assets. This year, however, we have multiple players who can contribute to our dynasty teams. This class has the potential to change the landscape at the running back position.
The depth of the class is very impressive. We have multiple stud running back prospects and we also have a few runners who will be selected in the second and third rounds of rookie drafts who could become household names in a few years.
Ke’Shawn Vaughn has NFL potential written all over him. He is currently slipping through the cracks of a deep running back class. Many people might not be aware of what Vaughn can do on the football field because he played for both Illinois and Vanderbilt, but let it be known if given the opportunity, Vaughn has more than enough talent to become a stud running back in the league.
THE STATS
Statistics from sports-reference.com.
The four-star recruit flashed talent during his initial freshman season for the Fighting Illini, rushing for 723 yards and six touchdowns. He was also a key component in the passing game catching 16 passes for 119 yards. Vaughn owned a 20.68 percent share of the team’s offensive production on top of a 20.69 percent dominator rating. His best game came against Purdue where he rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns.
His ownership of the offensive production decreased during his sophomore season. He carried the ball just 60 times for 301 yards while sharing the backfield with Reggie Corbin and Kendrick Foster. The added competition caused his market share rate of the team’s offensive production to drop to 10.31 percent. Injuries also played a part in him not being able to see a larger role in the offense. It was also Lovie Smith’s first year with Illinois and the feeling out process for him didn’t gel with Vaughn’s skill set.
After a dismal sophomore season, entering the transfer portal seemed like the best practice. Vaughn made his way to Vanderbilt where he had to sit out a season before he would get the opportunity to carry the rock again.
He instantly proved to be a superior talent in 2018 during his redshirt junior season for the Commodores, rushing for 1,244 yards and 12 touchdowns. He owned a 26.45 percent market share of the team’s offensive production along with a 30.43 percent dominator rating. Vaughn exceeded the 100-yard mark in four of his last five games. His best game during the Texas Bowl against Baylor where he rushed for 243 yards and two touchdowns.
The expectations were high after a very successful junior season at Vanderbilt. Vaughn surpassed the 1,000-yard mark again and his usage in the passing game increased. He capped off his senior season owning a 36.91 percent share of the team’s offensive production with a 41.18 percent dominator rating.
His career was wildly underrated from a production standpoint. He broke out at two different collegiate programs. The counting stats might not have been very impressive but he managed to own a large portion of his team’s offensive production throughout his career. He only had one year with below-average production and that was the fluky sophomore season where he was dealing with a coaching change and a few injuries.
The lost year he endured after he entered the transfer portal extended his career, making him an older prospect. He will be a 23-year-old rookie when he steps on the field next year. Considering the short shelf life for running backs, his age shouldn’t be a major issue but could become a sticking point a few years down the road.
THE FILM
The game posted above is from Vaughn’s 2018 performance against Baylor in the Texas Bowl where he blew up for 243 yards rushing. This game provides a good depiction of his skill set since he received a fair amount of touches while demonstrating what he can do when he has the ball in his hands.
His approach to the line of scrimmage is good. He sees the field well and can anticipate the open running lanes. Things get a little hairy when he reaches the second level of the defense where he lacks creativity. He also struggles to manipulate the flow of traffic when the defense has the running lanes closed off. Overall, he’s very good at getting what is blocked but struggles to read the momentum of the defense to redirect on the fly.
Ke'Shawn Vaughn, RB Vanderbilt is quicker than a hiccup. pic.twitter.com/221rJL9Tlg
— Bruce Matson (@MetricScout) June 17, 2019
Vaughn can be lightning in a bottle when given space to operate. If the running lane is completely clear, he’s a threat to bust open a long gain. He runs with a lot of pop off his step and can eat up yards at a moment’s notice.
Moving laterally can be a challenge for him as he’s more of a straight-line runner. The lack of wiggle in his game confines him from being able to shake off defenders in the open field and prevents him from jump-cutting to the next hole. His inability to change directions will limit him from being able to shake defenders in one-on-one situations.
Vaughn is very compact. He runs with a lot of aggression and has a low center of gravity. His contact balance is excellent as he does a good job of absorbing the blow at the point of contact. However, he doesn’t deliver a devasting pop when meeting defenders in the hole, but he does a good job at keeping his pad level low to be able to push back the pile.
After catching 28 passes during his senior season, Vaughn has the potential to be a high-end check down option at the NFL level. He has good hands and his burst will allow him to churn out yards if he sees open space in the flat or off a screen pass. Don’t expect him to split out in the slot and run routes as a slot receiver. At this point, he can run a full route tree, but he’s good enough to do the basic duties for a running back in the passing game.
THE MEASURABLES
At the Scouting Combine, Vaughn measured in at 5-foot-10 and weighed 214 pounds. He ran a 4.51-second 40-yard dash which led to him achieving a 103.5 weight-adjusted speed score. His 32-inch vertical and 117-inch broad jump suggest that he has limited burst at best. It’s not a surprise that he skipped out of the three-cone considering the limitations he had moving laterally on film.
His comparison list isn’t very impressive. The name that stands out the most is Sony Michel. They are very similar when it comes to size-adjusted speed. Michel also skipped out on the three-cone and is also not considered one of the most elusive running backs to ever grace an NFL field.
DYNASTY VALUE
Vaughn currently holds a 128.50 startup draft ADP and he’s usually the 45th running back off the board. In one of my recent startup drafts, he fell all the way to 143 overall before being selected. He’s an afterthought in startup drafts and his price tag is more than palatable. He’s a safe investment considering the entry cost is rather low and his upside is certainly high if he gets drafted into the right situation.
He’s being drafted in the middle of the second round of rookie drafts with an 18.90 ADP. We usually see Tua Tagovailoa, Bryan Edwards, AJ Dillon, and Zack Moss coming off the board right before he gets selected. We could see him see an immense spike in his value if he goes to one of the more promising situations in the draft. On the contrary, we shouldn’t see him lose much value from this point unless completely tanks the draft.
CONCLUSION
Vaughn is a really good running back prospect who could pop at the NFL level if he gets drafted in the right situation. He has the right blend of size and speed that could allow him to come out of nowhere to develop into a functional fantasy asset. The sky is the limit for this kid. The draft is going to be huge for his dynasty stock because it’s going to indicate how the NFL values his talent.
We also need to keep an eye on his team’s depth chart, because if he plays behind an unreliable starter, then he might receive the opportunity to steal the starting job somewhere down the line. He’s not a bulletproof prospect by any means, but he’s someone you need to have on your radar just in case he gets in a position to showcase what he can do.
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