Cowboys rookie RB draws explosive comparison from Hall of Fame RB

The Dallas Cowboys are (rightfully) buying a ton of stock in Tony Pollard to be their full-time RB1 when the 2023 season begins. After parting ways with former first-round pick and fan favorite Ezekiel Elliott due to the huge cap hit he was due, Dallas has been fairly quiet when it comes to adding new faces to the running back room.

But there is one new name drawing plenty of attention already.

Rookie Deuce Vaughn was selected by the Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Kansas State, where he put up some eye-opening numbers over three seasons. Even going beyond the numbers, it appears many fans and analysts alike are buying into the hype early in OTAs already.

Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson appeared on NFL Network and spoke about the Cowboys rookie, offering an impressive comp in the form of Darren Sproles, as The Dallas Morning News detailed.

“I think Deuce can be a matchup nightmare out of the backfield,” Tomlinson said. “A lot of people are comparing him to Darren Sproles, who was one of the best ever coming out of the backfield running routes and creating mismatches. I see Deuce Vaughn in the same light.”

As The Dallas Morning News points out, the comparison makes sense, specifically from a size perspective. Sproles checked in at 5-6, 190 pounds, while Vaughn’s rookie profile lists him at 5-5, 176 pounds.

While Vaughn's comparison to Sproles is high praise, the rookie running back posted numbers at Kansas State to back up the early hype. Over three seasons, Vaughn played in 37 games, rushing 651 times for 3,604 yards while catching 116 passes for 1,280 yards. He also had a total of 43 touchdowns (34 rushing and nine receiving) and averaged 5.5 yards per attempt over that span.

The most impressive year for Vaughn was a monster 2021 campaign in which he tallied 1,404 rushing yards, 468 receiving yards, and 22 combined touchdowns, with 18 coming on the ground. He posted career-best numbers virtually across the board, including a 6.0 yards per carry average.

As impressive as Vaughn's numbers were, the big question is how he'll fit next to Pollard, as it was widely expected that the Cowboys would add a "thunder" to go with Pollard's "lightning" in the backfield. Vaughn packs plenty of punch as a runner, but his size and speed could be maximized if used in the open field, an area where Pollard thrives as well.

Vaughn should be able to make some noise for the Cowboys, but it may not be often during his rookie year. Regardless, there's obvious talent there when it comes to his skill set, and the Cowboys would be wise to give him a shot and see if he can produce and put himself in the mix for legitimate playing time behind Pollard.