For Deuce Vaughn, being picked up by the Dallas Cowboys was a family affair.
Dallas drafted Deuce, a former running back with the Kansas State Wildcats, as the No. 212 overall pick in the sixth round during the 2023 NFL Draft on Saturday.
And to make things even sweeter, Vaughn’s dad, Chris, works as an assistant director of college scouting for the Cowboys.
Chris made the call to his son to tell him he was officially a member of the Cowboys.
“You want to come to work with me next week,” a teary Chris said through a telephone call.
“I wouldn’t mind that at all,” Deuce beamed over the phone.
Once Dallas officially picked his son, Chris could be seen hugging the Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones on the NFL Network’s broadcast.
Jones later said to Deuce over the phone everyone in the draft room was standing there “with a tear in their eye.”
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Deuce hyped up his new team after being drafted with a post on Twitter.
“Dallas! I am honored to be a Cowboy,” Deuce tweeted. “Let’s get to work boys!”
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said the father removed himself from the Cowboys deliberating over if they should draft his son or not.
“If you ignore the size, just watch the tape,” Jeremiah said.
One of the caveats with Deuce, who was a unanimous All-American in 2022, is his size.
The running back is the shortest player in the NFL Draft at 5-foot-5 — likely the reason why he slid so far in the draft.
The pick, however, is a win-win for both parties, with the Vaughn father-son duo being able to be in close-quarters with each other, while the Cowboys gain more running back depth with Deuce, who helped Kansas State win the Big 12 title last season with 5.3 yards per a carry.
With Ezekiel Elliot gone, Deuce likely will have a shot to play behind Tony Pollard, who had a breakout season in 2022.
