Cowboys news: Emotional moment between father and son highlight Day 3 of the draft

Cowboys select RB Deuce Vaughn and his emotional father gets to make the call from team’s draft room - Jared Dubin, CBS Sports

On the last day of the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys front office shared a heartfelt moment that hit very close to home for assistant director of college scouting, Chris Vaughn.

The Cowboys waited and waited, and on Saturday evening they finally added a running back in the draft. With the No. 212 overall pick, the Cowboys selected former Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn.

Ordinarily, a late sixth-round pick wouldn’t be all that notable. But this pick was special. Vaughn’s father, Chris, is Cowboys’ assistant director of college scouting, and he is in the draft room helping the team make its picks. The selection of his son brought Vaughn to tears, and he went around the room hugging everyone he could find. The team then put Vaughn on the phone to make the call to his son, informing him that they would now be members of the same organization.

Deuce was wildly productive the past three years at Kansas State, totaling 3,604 yards and 34 touchdowns on 651 carries and adding 1,280 yards and nine more scores on his 116 receptions. With a resume like that, you’d think he would be an early-round pick. The most likely reason he wasn’t is that Vaughn is the smallest player in the history of the NFL Scouting Combine, checking in at just 5-5 1/4 and 179 pounds.

Despite his size, Vaughn packs a surprising punch, to the point that it was one of the first things K-State coach Chris Klieman mentioned to our Dennis Dodd. “I always knew he was fearless and not afraid to run inside,” Klieman said. “We started to use him as a pure running back as the [first] season went on. I’ve been saying ever since he got here: He’s a very underrated running back between the tackles. Some of his best players have 3-4 yard gains that could have been 5-6 yard losses. You can’t get clean shots at him.”

Jerry Jones Addresses Potential Ezekiel Elliott Reunion After NFL Draft - Karl Rasmussen, Sports Illustrated

So you’re saying there’s a chance? Even after drafting Deuce Vaughn on Saturday, Jerry Jones isn’t closing the book on a possible Ezekiel Elliott return to the Dallas Cowboys.

Despite adding to the backfield at the draft, owner Jerry Jones indicated a reunion with Ezekiel Elliott isn’t out of the question for Dallas. Jones was asked by reporters about the possibility of the Cowboys re-signing Elliott.

“No, no no. Not at all. That ship hasn’t sailed yet. We haven’t made a decision,” said Jones, via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “Nothing we did today changes that.”

After drafting Vaughn with the No. 212 pick, Dallas’s backfield now consists of Tony Pollard, Malik Davis, Ronald Jones, and Vaughn. Nevertheless, Jones refused to rule out the possibility of Elliott returning to the Cowboys and joining that group, even after parting ways earlier in the offseason.

Asim Richards NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Dallas Cowboys’ OT - BR NFL Scouting Department, Bleacher Report

An in-depth scouting report of North Carolina offensive lineman, Asim Richards.

POSITIVES

— Strapping, well-rounded build with plenty of length and sand

— Lighter on his feet than he tested with his basketball background showing up on film

— Plays long in pass-protection with excellent grip strength to stay locked onto the block once latched

— Very good play strength makes him a chore to work through with power

— Functional zone run-blocker who comes to balance on the move before contact and understands how to pivot and shield defenders to create lanes

— Can flush and clear out DL on angle-drive blocks when his hat and hand placement is on point

OVERALL

Asim Richards is a three-year starter with 38 career starts (34 consecutive) primarily at left tackle, including 14 starts at LT during the 2022 season in UNC’s balanced offense and multiple-run scheme. Richards has a strapping build with plenty of length, sand and adequate athletic ability.

Richards is a powerful run-blocker on angle-drive blocks with a big body and girth to shield and wall off rush lanes. When his hat and hand placement are in sync he can create major displacement on down blocks and he takes coordinated, under-control tracks to the second-level meet backers with balance.

Winners and losers for the Cowboys after the 2023 NFL Draft - Dan Rogers, Blogging the Boys

Which Cowboys were helped or hurt following this year’s NFL draft.

WINNERS

Dak Prescott

Prescott lost his most reliable safety blanket when Dalton Schultz left in free agency, but the Cowboys spent a second-round draft pick to grab the most Schultzy-like replacement. Luke Schoonmaker possesses all the route-running nuances that the seasoned Schultz brings as well as being a strong in-line blocker. Add a little juice and a larger catch radius and the team has a good shot at supplementing one of Dak’s most comfortable receiving options.

Micah Parsons

The Cowboys linebackers are not the only ones benefiting from the addition of Mazi Smith. With an improved run defense, this should open the door for more opportunities to put opposing teams in third-and-long situations. This means more chances to pin their ears back and rush the passer for Micah Parsons and the Cowboys’ pass rushers. Not only will Smith set the stage for third down, but being a powerful defender who will command more attention from the offensive line will make things easier for his supporting cast as there are only so many blockers to go around.

LOSERS

Nahshon Wright

Most everyone expected the team to select a cornerback in this draft, but the only question was when? The team held out for a while but then set their sights on Southern Mississippi corner Eric Scott Jr. and traded a 2024 fifth-round pick for the first pick of the sixth round. Scott Jr. matches the profile of the lengthy corners the Cowboys covet, which makes us wonder if that’s the end of the road for third-year corner Nahshon Wright. Eventually, they need to see results to justify holding a roster spot and there’s only room for so many lengthy developmental corners.

TO BE DETERMINED

Josh Ball

The team was not able to take one of the stronger offensive tackles/guards in this draft and for a time, fans were left wondering if the Cowboys were even going to address it in this draft. They finally pulled the trigger late in the fifth round when they selected North Carolina’s Asim Richards. While Richards is a nice development project, his rawness still leaves a hole at left guard. Currently, third-year player Josh Ball is expected to be given an opportunity to compete for playing time inside. This buys Ball a little time, but if the rookie Richards comes along quickly it could result in a literally changing of the guards.

Blogging The Boys Podcast Network and YouTube Channel

We offer a different show every single day on the Blogging The Boys podcast network, and on weekdays we offer two different shows every single day.

• Monday: 1st and 10 with Tony Catalina & Aidan Davis
• Monday: Hidden Yardage with Mark Lane and Sean Martin
• Tuesday: The Writer’s Block with Jess Nevarez and Brandon Loree
• Tuesday: BTB Roundtable with various BTB Staffers
• Wednesday: NFC East Mixtape with RJ Ochoa and Brandon Lee Gowton
• Wednesday: Talkin’ The Star with Connor Livesay
• Thursday: The Ocho with RJ Ochoa
• Thursday: Ryled Up with Roy White and Tom Ryle
• Friday: Girls Talkin’ Boys with Kelsey Charles and Meg Murray
• Friday: The Star Seminar with Danny Phantom and Rabblerousr
• Saturday: The World’s Team with Meg Murray and Paul Stewart

Also every single weekday features a roundup episodes of sorts similar to these news headlines that catches you up on everything that you need to know! Make sure to listen to Dallas Cowboys Daily hosted by Jess Nevarez from Monday through Friday. We also offer live shows every weekday afternoon on the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel.

The Blogging The Boys podcast network is available on all major podcast platforms.

Subscribe here on Apple devices.

Subscribe here if you are a Spotify user.