“Film Room” is a bi-weekly column by Aidan Berg that highlights player performances by breaking down basketball and football tape.
Unlike Talanoa Hufanga, who I profiled two weeks ago, Tyler Vaughns has not been flying up draft boards in recent months — at least not yet. There hasn’t been talk about hidden potential or star power that will encourage teams to take a chance on him with a high pick, because that’s not the kind of player Vaughns is.
The departing redshirt senior wide receiver was the essence of consistency with USC; just check his numbers by year. Even as talented, NFL-caliber wide receivers came and went around him, Vaughns was always a contributor to one of the most competitive receiving groups in the nation.
At 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, Vaughns lacks the bulk and high-end athleticism to be a marquee prospect, but that’s OK. Not everyone you draft has to be a star. As I said last week, these articles are not meant to be holistic analyses of players but rather spotlights of recent performances and projections of what players can do.
Vaughns brings dependability to the table; let’s look at how.
You cannot be considered a solid, reliable receiver without great hands; luckily, Vaughns has some of the best mitts in the draft. He has shown the concentration and hand strength to pluck balls thrown at his shoelaces and above his head while having to contort his body, fight off grappling defenders punching at his arms and absorb punishing hits. Most importantly, he has made tough catches at the most crucial moments, as he did in the final play below at UCLA this season.
Every NFL team can use a guy who catches everything, and Vaughns fits the bill. Even if he isn’t open or has a safety flying at him from behind, you can trust Vaughns to secure the pass.
His sticky hands, along with his long frame, have made him a scary threat on slant fade routes, especially in the red zone. This is a play where you’re not expecting the player to be open, so having a player like Vaughns who will catch anything he gets his hands on and has the length to get to these passes is useful.
Perhaps Vaughns’ lean physique will prevent him from having the same kind of contested catch success in the NFL, but no team is going to draft him to do this against No. 1 corners. He will likely be a third or fourth receiver who is out there as a safety blanket for quarterbacks, but the further down the defensive back depth chart you go to match up with him, the more likely he will be able to make these highlight plays.
Another ability Vaughns displayed in college was a knack for tracking the deep ball. Despite his average speed, he frequently got past cornerbacks on the outside and showed more fantastic concentration and timing with the way he judged these deep passes.
He knows exactly when to attack the ball, when to go high and when to go low, but most impressive was that final clip. That is 2020 second round pick Jaylon Johnson, who started each of his appearances with the Chicago Bears as a rookie this season and impressed. Vaughns does a great job fighting him off and pushing away at the perfect time to separate for the easy touchdown pass. Vaughns isn’t going to push many NFL players around, but if he can add some bulk, that understanding of leverage and timing at the catch point should serve him well.
Aside from consistent, the best word to describe Vaughns is “smooth.” He doesn’t explode but rather seems to glide across the field. That fluidity has served him well as a route-runner, especially when he plants and turns on the in-breaking routes seen below.
Each time, he sticks that outside foot in the ground to get the defender to commit outside before springing inside, but he maintains a smoothness and ease of motion that allows him to take advantage of that misdirection to separate. This is how a player without top-end speed gets open down the field.
You see a similar style with Vaughns’ playmaking after the catch. He is obviously comfortable turning back inside with or without the ball, but the lack of wasted motion allows him to find yardage after creating space with those hard jabs.
Vaughns shows a little extra oomph in a few of those plays, though. He has good balance that allows him to stay up through weak ankle tackles, as he does with the run after catch against Utah. And I know I’ve been talking about Vaughns lacking elite speed, but it didn’t stop him from running away from everyone for that 42-yard touchdown against Arizona State, did it? Vaughns can provide more juice than his testing numbers will probably let on.
Finally, Vaughns is a smart receiver. He knows how to find gaps in the defense and use its leverage against it. And again, once he gets the ball, the guy can make something happen with those sweet feet.
No, I am not expecting Tyler Vaughns to be a No. 1, 1,000-yard and double-digit touchdown per season kind of receiver. I don’t think it’s impossible, but I don’t see those kinds of traits. He also turns 24 in June, so he’s close to his ceiling as a player, which isn’t going to help his stock.
What I see is the possibility of a Tyler Johnson-style receiver, a depth piece who can come in and make some tough catches when you really need them, as Johnson did as a rookie for the Buccaneers on their Super Bowl run. Johnson was a better prospect than Vaughns coming out, mainly because of his technical ability as a route runner and stronger frame, but they share the ability to make contested catches because of their strong hands. As we’ve already covered, Vaughns has a knack for saving his biggest plays for the biggest moments.
The Buccaneers might not have won the championship without Johnson, and I could see Vaughns playing a similar role before too long.
“Film Room” runs every other Thursday.