On Friday, the RotoViz team worked through many Day 2 reactions with live fantasy insights. While Day 1 and Day 2 are when the fantasy superstars tend to get drafted, there were still some intriguing running back prospects in the final few rounds. Three running backs in particular joined teams with potentially valuable roles available. We’ll look at the college data and underlying metrics to see how these 2023 running back prospects fit as an early look at their fantasy value.
Can Deuce Vaughn Quiet the Size Skeptics?
If you want to start an argument on Twitter, talk about Deuce Vaughn. Jokes aside, there’s no denying the off-the-charts production, with over 3,600 total yards and 33 rushing touchdowns in his three-year collegiate career. Vaughn boasted an 85% RB Dominator and 17% receiving yardage market share throughout college, tied for ninth-best amongst all college backs since 2005.
At the combine, Vaughn weighed 179 pounds and ran an uninspiring forty-yard dash at his pro day, translating into a Speed Score of 79. When looking at historical data since 2010, the list of running backs at 180 pounds or lighter doesn’t inspire confidence. A few familiar names include Pooka Williams, Donnel Pumphrey, Dri Archer, and Dexter McCluster. In college, these backs produced at a high rate in their own right, especially Pumphrey, Archer, and McCluster, in various ways.
NFL teams must have similar concerns about Vaughn’s size since he lasted into Round 6 before the Cowboys took him at No. 212. With Ezekiel Elliott as a free agent, Tony Pollard looks to capitalize on the opportunity that Pollard stans fantasized about. The Cowboys also signed a post-hype sleeper Ronald Jones, with 2022 UDFA Malik Davis flashing in short spurts last year. Not only will Vaughn fight the size concerns, but they have a couple of capable backs behind Pollard.
