Buccaneers draft Ke’Shawn Vaughn with No. 76 pick

Ke’Shawn Vaughn will get to join the party down in Tampa Bay after being selected 76th overall by the Buccaneers. Vaughn should compete with Ronald Jones from Day 1 for snaps, but it will be a competition and likely a committee, much like Jones had with Peyton Barber last season.

Ke’Shawn Vaughn started his collegiate career at Illinois but after sharing work his first two seasons, decided to sit out a year and transfer to Vanderbilt, where he had successful junior and senior seasons, rushing 355 times for 2,272 yards (6.4 ypc) and 21 touchdowns while adding 41 receptions for 440 yards and three touchdowns in 24 games his last two seasons.

Scouting Report

Vaughn does everything well but nothing great. That’s a good recipe to stick in the NFL as a backup, but not to take off into the upper echelon of running backs in the league. He can hit creases well with good vision, but has trouble making people miss with regularity. His toughness and determination help him run through arm tackles and pick up those extra inches every early down runner needs.

Fantasy football impact

Rookie

Vaughn’s ability doesn’t jump out at you, but he is proficient in all aspects, including receiving and pass blocking, which will be paramount in Tampa Bay with Old Man Brady in town. Vaughn could end up beating Ronald Jones out and having good fantasy value early, but this looks like a committee situation on a team that won’t run the ball a whole lot.

Long-term

Vaughn’s vision and determination make him a player who I believe can be a good goal line back in the NFL. Getting that opportunity might not be easy, but if he improves as a pass blocker and receiver, he could earn more time on the field while performing well in short yardage from the get go.