The Tampa Bay Buccaneers addressed their biggest need in round one of April’s NFL draft when they selected Iowa offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs with the 13th overall pick. The former Hawkeye will join a line that will be tasked with keeping prized offseason investment Tom Brady upright.
But the Bucs also used the draft to take care of another glaring offensive issue, which was their backfield. Despite a solid sophomore campaign from 2018 second-round pick Ronald Jones, Tampa Bay wanted some more insurance at the running back position, especially after Peyton Barber bolted for the nation’s capital in free agency when he signed a two-year deal with the Washington Redskins.
Tampa Bay used their third-round pick in the 2020 draft on Vanderbilt running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn in a move that surprised some, considering Utah running back Zack Moss was still available and ranked ahead of Vaughn on many boards. But the Bucs liked what they saw in Vaughn, especially his potential to catch out of the backfield, something Brady wants in his running backs.
Perhaps it is for that reason that NFL Network analytics expert Cynthia Frelund ranked Vaughn third on her list of seven rookie running backs who could have big years in 2020.
Per Frelund:
“Another back with enough upside to potentially lead this list by season’s end, Vaughn is currently my No. 28 overall RB in terms of PPR fantasy projections. Over the past two seasons, Vaughn led the SEC with an average of 4.4 yards per rush after contact (min. 100 rushes, per PFF). Vaughn’s receiving skills and Tom Brady’s short passing game (155 targets to backs in 2019 — second-most among NFL QBs, according to PFF) match well. Should Vaughn be able to eat into enough of Ronald Jones II’s snaps, he could end up as the surprise star of this running back class.”
Fantasy football owners, pay attention.
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