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As All Hopes Died for Five Foot Five Son, Father Picked Him Up From “Lowest” Point to Starry Heights

ByShivam Pratap Singh

May 2, 2023 | 7:10 AM EDT

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The NFL draft is the time when dreams come true for many college athletes. But that process can take a long time and still there is no guarantee that they would hear their name. That was the kind of time that five-foot-five running back Deuce Vaughn spent as he waited to know his fate during the 2023 draft. From probably his lowest ebb, his father got the chance to pick him up and take him to the starry nights.

It’s not often that the highlight of the draft comes in the sixth round of the process. But the Dallas Cowboys stole the show when they got a talented weapon for their running game and gave the fanbase a heartwarming story. It was his father and the Cowboys scout Chris Vaughn who got to make the call. Chris opened up about the moment he got to tell his son that he would be a Cowboy in the NFL.

Father puts the Dallas Cowboys star on son’s cap

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The Dallas Cowboys scout Chris Vaughn revealed that he had a conversation with his son RB Deuce Vaughn just 15 minutes before drafting him. And according to Chris, his son was at his lowest point during the process. It was already the sixth round.

“To make that phone call, after getting off the phone with him 15 minutes before. And he is probably at his lowest, you know. He’s a really mentally strong person, he has been all his life. And to hear that little bit of a doubt crack in his voice, you know, because I couldn’t fix it. There’s nothing I can do. It’s out of my hands, out of his hands,” Chris said in an interview to the Cowboys media.

Amid this tension and circumstances, the Cowboys made a pick in the sixth round. It was the 5ft 5 inches Kansas State running back. And the cherry on top, Jerry Jones asked the player’s father and his franchise’s Assistant Director of College Scouting to make the call.

“So, when I could make that phone call, best phone call I ever made. Ever,” Chris added. But he hadn’t participated in his son’s evaluation process at all due to a principle.

No participation

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Although Chris Vaughn holds the sway in the Cowboys drafting process through his reports, he didn’t write one on his son Deuce Vaughn. Nor did he participate in any discussion among the franchise leadership around the running back. According to a report from ESPN, he did not want to influence the franchise’s decision on his son.

Deuce has proved himself with Kansas State. He has had productive three seasons in collegiate football. He recorded 3,604 rushing yards in 651 carries. The RB found the end zone 34 times on the ground and nine times in his 116 receptions with 1,280 yards of gain.

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So, it was a smart and sensible pick. And if it allows a father and son to work together in the same building, that’s just a bonus, a bonus that touched the fans too.

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