Green Bay Packers: 3 Day Three Running Back Prospects

Ke’Shawn Vaughn

Ke’Shawn Vaughn comes in with a similar build to Perine and Anderson at 5’10” 218 pounds, but again he has a slightly different running style. Vaughn has a little bit of everything in his game. He’ll juke, stiff arm, and occasionally sit a guy down with a head on truck move. He’s also got more straight-line speed than the other two, as he ran a 4.51 40-yard dash. 

Vaughn is also the most experienced of these three as a zone scheme runner. Vanderbilt’s system is very zone heavy, just like Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers’. Vaughn had 572 rushing attempts in college, most of which were zone runs and countless other reps in practice. He is a one-cut back, just like Aaron Jones and can see the open gaps that organically form in this scheme. He doesn’t always run with his pads down through the hole or burst as strongly as the other two, but he can see them as a product of practicing it countless times.

In terms of production, not many guys in later rounds can match that of Vaughn in his last two years after transferring from Illinois to Vanderbilt. He ran the ball 355 times for 2,272 yards, which is an average of 6.4 yards per carry. Some teams average less yards per pass attempt than he averaged on rushing attempts.

Vaughn doesn’t break out power moves as a runner often, but when he does it’s impressive. Remember that head on truck move that I mentioned earlier? It is like Earl Campbell when he does it and that is no exaggeration. Take a look for yourself.

Ok, now take a second to pay your condolences to that poor Purdue safety, because Vaughn just dug his grave. He’s done that more than once and he can sit guys down. Think it was just because that was some scrawny little safety? Alright, here’s a linebacker.

Once again, let’s take a moment of silence. Ok now that we’ve seen what he can do running the ball, let’s take a look at his catching skills. Like the others, his final season was his best in that respect, but he didn’t make as big of a jump. He jumped up from 13 catches for 170 yards in his junior year to 28 catches for 270 yards in 2019. He can run, he can catch, and once in a while, he will put a man on the ground.

Any of these three guys would be great picks on day three. Picking in later rounds is a lot more about team fit and best player available than positional need. The Green Bay Packers may not need a running back immediately, but any of these options could make some immediate contributions and, in a best-case scenario, be an impact player for years to come.