Cowboys News: Hall of Fame RB praises Deuce Vaughn, Dallas dominants 2022 jersey sales
By Jerry Trotta
The Dallas Cowboys clearly planned to come away from the 2023 draft with a running back. Something tells us they wanted to take one before the sixth round. The board didn't fall their way, unfortunately, but they settled for quite the consolation prize in Kansas State gem Deuce Vaughn.
At 5-foot-6 and 176 pounds, Vaughn is one of four players in the league who stand shorter than 5-foot-7, two of which are running backs.
Though Vaughn faces an uphill climb to be a productive NFL player due to his stature, he has everything a team could want in a back, including vision, fearlessness between the tackles, contact balance and devastating short-area quickness and jump cuts.
Vaughn understands the challenge ahead of him to make the 53-man roster, and how many teams glossed over him as a draft pick because of his size.
However, the former Wildcat already has a few fans among former NFL stars. Former Kansas State phenom Darren Sproles is perhaps Vaughn's biggest supporter, but Hall of Fame running back and NFL Network analyst LaDainian Tomlinson isn't far behind.
Hall of Fame RB LaDainian Tomlinson praises Cowboys' Deuce Vaughn
“I think this could be a matchup nightmare out the backfield. A lot of people are comparing him to Darren Sproles who was one of the best ever coming out the back field, running routes, creating mismatches,” Tomlinson said on NFL Network. "I see Deuce Vaughn in the same light. There’s no way you’re going to stop him one-on-one from running option routes. You can also bring him out the back field, put him on the perimeter. He’s as quick as a gnat and I’m telling you right now, the Cowboys will find a place and find a way to utilize Deuce Vaughn’s skills.”
That's some big praise from Tomlinson, who's seventh on the NFL's all-time rushing list with 13,684 yards and ranks second all-time with 145 rushing touchdowns.
It's clear the Hall of Famer sees a bright future for Vaughn. The rookie might not have a prominent role in the offense, but Mike McCarthy and company should see to it that he gets a handful of touches per game to keep defenses honest (and off-balance).
Deuce Vaughn was only a 3-star recruit coming out of high school. He now gets to his see first NFL jersey with this name on it 🙌 pic.twitter.com/PjPJX0ZLhM
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 20, 2023
In other Cowboys news, Dallas absolutely dominated jersey sales spanning March 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023. While no Cowboys ranked in the top five, Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb checked in sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, per the NFLPA.
For context, no team had two players in the top 10.
With Trevon Diggs (No. 28) and Ezekiel Elliott (No. 30) in tow, the Cowboys had the most players ranked within the top 50 with five. The 49ers also had five -- Trey Lance somehow cracked the top 50 -- while the Eagles finished with four.
Further evidence that the people love the Cowboys. While Elliott is no longer on the team, newcomers like Vaughn, Brandin Cooks, and Stephon Gilmore could possibly enter the top-50 this time next year so that Dallas maintains its dominance.
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