Ke’Shawn Vaughn is a running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He grew up in Nashville, where won the Tennessee Gatorade Football Player of the Year award his senior year, and spent his offseasons moonlighting as a track star. He began his collegiate career at the University of Illinois, where he led the team in rushing with 723 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns. The following season, Vaughn shot down the depth chart and saw only 60 carries while taking a backseat to Kendrick Foster and Reggie Corbin.
After being replaced in Illinois, Ke'Shawn Vaughn opted to move back home and play for Vanderbilt. The transfer rules forced him to redshirt the 2017 season. However, as they say, good things are worth waiting for. Vaughn’s career finally took flight in the 2018 season, dominating the backfield and chalking up 1244 rushing yards en route to winning the SEC Newcomer of the Year Award. His senior year resulted in slightly less rushing production. However, he showed significant strides in the passing game, earning a 10-percent target share with minimal drops. Vaughn declared for the draft following his senior year. His college stats and 4.51 second 40 time were enough to be drafted with the 12th pick of the 3rd round by the Buccaneers.
Despite the high draft capital catapulting him into the first round of dynasty rookie drafts, Vaughn did not see many snaps in his rookie season. With the team signing the waived Leonard Fournette and still, for some reason, enamored by Ronald Jones, Vaughn was left with only 26 carries to handle and 37 routes run. The same could be said for the majority of the 2021 season, until opportunity knocked. Riddled with injuries, the Bucs placed Vaughn into a starting role. In his two games as a starter, he totaled 103 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns behind Tampa’s stout run blocking. Despite this, Vaughn’s next gen stats were middling, with average broken tackle and yards created marks. Leonard Fournette and Vaughn are the only Buccaneers running back currently under contract for the 2022 season, which could make him a value at his current undrafted ADP.
