The best moment of Day 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft came in the sixth round when the Dallas Cowboys turned in a card with Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn's name on it.
Vaughn is the son of Chris Vaughn, the team's assistant director of college scouting.
"Over the past 21 years of my life and to see him react the way that he did, I'm not going to lie," Deuce said Saturday, via ESPN. "It was a tearjerker."
Chris left the room whenever the Cowboys discussed his son as a possible draft option during the process, and the dad famously didn't write a scouting report of his son.
But he made the call to Deuce, letting him know Saturday he was being drafted by the Cowboys in the sixth round.
"Look here, man, do you want to come to work with me next week?" Vaughn asked his son, his voice cracking.
"I wouldn't mind that at all," Deuce responded.
The video of the call went viral.
The Kansas State product stands just 5-foot-5, but packs a punch with the ball in his hands. In the last two seasons with the Wildcats, Vaughn put up 1,404 and 1,558 rushing yards, respectively. He's shifty in space and owns explosive pop at the second level. If it weren't for his size, he wouldn't have been on the board at No. 212 overall for the Cowboys.
Deuce said he never talked with his father about Dallas.
"I wanted it to happen organically," Deuce said. "I wanted everything to fall into place as if it would. And over the past two weeks, the biggest thing we kind of echoed to each other is that I just needed a chance. It didn't matter what round. It didn't matter exactly what pick. I just needed a chance, a foot in the door. For it to be Dallas, oh man, it's unbelievable."
It's unbelievable for father and son.
"That's the best one I ever made," Chris said. "You know, I told somebody he's the hardest worker I know, I just happen to be his dad. It's really refreshing to see that that's what this league is made up of. Of guys that you can't put a measurement on. That's what he's always been. I expect him to be that when he gets his opportunity that he's earned as a player just doing it the right way."
Deuce Vaughn has a chance to earn touches in the Cowboys' offense, after the club cut Ezekiel Elliott this offseason and with Tony Pollard coming off a late-season injury. The team's only veteran addition heretofore was signing Ronald Jones.
