“Solid, Typical, Third-Round Running Back”
May 7th, 2020
Bucs RB Ke’Shawn Vaughn.
What is “a typical, third-round running back?”
That’s a tough question, but one former NFL player and executive has an opinion.
Louis Riddick touted Bucs rookie third-round pick Ke’Shawn Vaughn as just that to his BSPN TV audience. He sees the two-season Vanderbilt standout as a north-south runner with just enough speed to do a little damage, and just good enough hands to potentially be reliable in the Bucs’ passing game.
Riddick added that Vaughn is the kind of “10-year” running back that will make a team look back and smile at their pick in the middle of Round 3.
Joe will be ecstatic if Vaughn is at lease serviceable out of the gate. Joe’s been doing endless digging on Vaughn, including film watching. He feels like a faster Peyton Barber with a slightly more direct running style and maybe he’s a hair more elusive.
Joe suspects the Bucs saw Vaughn as a safe pick — a mature person, player and student (he’s older than Ronald Jones) who doesn’t fumble.
Safe isn’t what Bucs fans wanted, but that sure will feel good if Tom Brady is the quarterback fans are expecting and Tristan Wirfs and Rob Gronkowski are massive blocking upgrades in the run game.
May 7th, 2020 at 1:58 pm
Stud running backs aren’t as important in the game anymore. I am glad we got one overall it’s best to get a solid serviceable guy and use premium picks that are much more important. IMO Wirfs will help the running attack more then any single back we could have added in the offseason. Dotson took a huge step down and on every run play you would just see him get beat off the snap.
Safety was 100% the way to go in the second and especially with who we got. I would have preferred other positions with the pick we used on Vaughn but overall I am happy we got him over Zach Moss. I am especially happy we took Whinfield over Akers.
May 7th, 2020 at 2:01 pm
I am happy with him and rojo….no.problem the scheme and playcalling killed the rin game
May 7th, 2020 at 2:02 pm
If he’s better than Barber, we’ve upgraded…….I would be surprised if the draft was the end of our RB acquisitions.
May 7th, 2020 at 2:16 pm
Tampabaybucfan – They had 3 on the roster going into the draft and picked up two more on days 2 and 3. I will be shocked if they are not done with RB acquistions now.
May 7th, 2020 at 2:25 pm
rinse ..repeat
May 7th, 2020 at 2:49 pm
Hard to be more of a north south runner than Peyton Barber, that was kind of his schtick.
Maybe this Vaughan guy will surprise, they must have really liked something about him that made them pick him over other comparable backs. Guess we’ll find out soon what the kid’s got.
May 7th, 2020 at 2:51 pm
Yes, we must wait and see. However, with such WR talent, TE talent, QB talent and most of our defense returning it would have been nice to complete the team with an elite not just a solid running back.
May 7th, 2020 at 2:52 pm
RoJo was drafted to be the homerun hitter, I think Vaughn is there to be a grinder who compliments RoJo. Both guys have pretty good size, and we still could see a pass catching/blocking vet come in on a cap friendly deal to further round out what I think is shaping up to be a dynamic RB group.
May 7th, 2020 at 3:01 pm
I like Vaughn better than ROJO. I just cant get excited about ROJO when I watch his tape….he always stumbles over himself and he cuts like hes in quick sand.
Vaughn runs balanced and has solid speed.
May 7th, 2020 at 3:34 pm
@Joe
I’m curious as to his ‘pass pro” ability. Don’t know how much he was even asked to block at Vandy. What did you notice on film?
May 7th, 2020 at 3:47 pm
Not much. Sean Sullivan told Joe that Vaughn is very aggressive at going after pass rushers and is not afraid at all at sticking his nose in someone’s chest, but the results don’t match the effort. Vaughn made it clear in a video before the 2019 season that he was eager to learn more about pass blocking.
May 7th, 2020 at 4:19 pm
Very weird to use a 3 on a 3rd down back who needs to work on his pass blocking… we’ll see.
May 7th, 2020 at 5:48 pm
tbbucs3 not sure what tape of Rojo you were watching. He has some work to do but I saw Much more potential last season from him.
May 7th, 2020 at 7:11 pm
Swift caught 24 passes last season, Dobbins caught 23, Vaughn caught 28. Zach Moss had knee surgery in 2018 good pick BA of JL who ever made the pick. Pearl high in Nashville good football school hopefully Vaughn will live up to it go bucs.
May 7th, 2020 at 9:42 pm
I wish this kid the best, but banking on him and Rojo is beyond dumb and a disservice to the fans and the team. Sign a veteran Licht, preferably Devonta Freeman!
May 12th, 2020 at 7:43 am
You all will be eating your words in January when we’re talking about 1400 apy RJIII. He was like a clumsy club who had a huge growth spurt and wasn’t used to his newly added size. I’m telling you he’s like Deuce McAllister the old 1st round pick of the Saints from a few moons ago. He’s elusive at his size. With Tom Brady’s hurry up I expect RJIII to be a top 15 fantasy back.
Vaughn is a solid pick and a textbook Tom Brady outlet back. He will quietly catch 45-50 balls and break a few long ones for TDS. He runs north and south and most importantly doesn’t turn it over. I’ll take 12 yards and no fumble over 35 yArds and a fumble any day. Adrian Peterson was an all time great but he wouldn’t be on the field fumbling if Brady was his QB. Protect the ball at all costs and just move the chains.