Kenneth Shaun Draughn ( "drone"; born December 7, 1987) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Th ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football in the United States, American football rules first gained populari ...

at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC S ...

. He signed with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

in 2011. In his seven year career, Draughn played for seven different teams and spent a preseason with two others.

Early life

Draughn was born on December 7, 1987 in

Tarboro, North Carolina Tarboro is a town located in Edgecombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is part of the Rocky Mount Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 10,721. It is the county seat of Edgecombe County. Th ...

to ministers Shirley and Kenneth Draughn. He attended

Tarboro High School Tarboro High School is a high school in Tarboro, North Carolina and is part of the Edgecombe County Public Schools district. It is one of four high schools in the district. History Tarboro High School was first established in 1881. Tarboro Colo ...

where he won three varsity

letters Letter, letters, or literature may refer to: Characters typeface * Letter (alphabet), a character representing one or more of the sounds used in speech; any of the symbols of an alphabet. * Letterform, the graphic form of a letter of the alpha ...

in football as a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

, and

. As a junior, he recorded 952 yards and 18 touchdowns. As a senior, he recorded 253 rushing attempts for 1,452 yards, and 21 touchdowns. Draughn received all-league honors and was named the Red Zone Player of the Week three times and the Eastern Plains Offensive Player of the Year. '' The Daily Sentinel'' and ''

The Daily Southerner ''The Daily Southerner'' was an American, English language four-day (Monday and Wednesday through Friday) a week newspaper primarily serving the town of Tarboro, North Carolina, U.S., and surrounding Edgecombe County, North Carolina. The paper cea ...

'' named him the player of the year, and the ''

Rocky Mount Telegram The ''Rocky Mount Telegram'' is an American, English language daily newspaper based in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. History Adams Publishing Group, a family-owned company led by CEO, Mark Adams, bought the ''Telegram'' in 2018 from Cooke Communica ...

'' named him the offensive player of the year.

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

named him the 10th-ranked, SuperPrep named him the 12th-ranked, and ''

The Charlotte Observer ''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American English-language newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. As of 2020, it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. I ...

'' named him the 18th-ranked player in the state of North Carolina.Player Bio: Shaun Draughn
University of North Carolina, retrieved June 18, 2009.

College career

Draughn sat out the

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

season on

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

status. He participated as a member of the defensive

scout team The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see ''Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

. In

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, Draughn played in 11 games, mostly on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. He saw action as a

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

against

James Madison James Madison Jr. (March 16, 1751June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father. He served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison is hailed as the "Father of the Constitution" for hi ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. He recorded five tackles, including two solo. In

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, Draughn saw action in all 13 games as a tailback and recorded 198 carries for 866 yards and three touchdowns. He also made 16

reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another p ...

s for 81 yards and one touchdown.

Professional career

Washington Redskins

Draughn signed with the

as an

on July 28, 2011, following the

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

. He was cut on September 3 for final roster cuts before the beginning of the 2011 season.

Kansas City Chiefs

On October 5, 2011, Draughn was signed to the

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

of the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

. After being on the practice squad for 13 weeks, he was promoted to the active 53-man roster and was placed third on the running back depth chart on December 31, 2011, after Jackie Battle was placed on the

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

due to a foot injury sustained in the Chief's Christmas-day loss to the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

. Draughn played against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

in the season finale as a special teamer. Before the 2012 season started, Draughn was listed third string. During the final seconds of the season opener against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

, Draughn scored his first career touchdown while Kansas City lost 24-40. He scored another touchdown on a six-yard carry during the Week 9 game against the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

. Draughn finished the season with 59 carries, 233 yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens

While Draughn was again listed as the third of four running backs on the Kansas City Chiefs depth chart, the Chiefs released him before 53-man roster cuts in August. Draughn was then signed by the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

on September 11, 2013. Draughn saw limited action with the Ravens appearing in only three games. On October 10, 2013 Draughn was released. In the 3 games he was active he recorded only 2 yards from 4 attempts.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts announced on December 17, 2013, that they had placed

Pat Angerer Patrick Aaron Angerer (born January 31, 1987) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iow ...

on season-ending injured reserve and had signed Draughn. On December 21, 2013, Draughn was waived by the Colts.

Chicago Bears

Draughn signed a one-year deal with the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

on April 23, 2014.

San Diego Chargers

On September 23, 2014, Draughn signed a one-year deal with the

. He was released on November 1, 2014.

Cleveland Browns

On December 3, 2014, Draughn signed with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

. On March 6, 2015, the Browns re-signed Draughn to another contract. On September 5, 2015, he was waived by the Browns. On the following day, he cleared waivers and was signed to the Browns' practice squad. On September 12, 2015, Draughn was promoted to the active roster. He only played 5 games with the Browns. Rushing for only 2 attempts and a total of 10 yards rushing.

San Francisco 49ers

On November 2, 2015, Draughn signed with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

due to an injury to starter,

Carlos Hyde Carlos Dawon Hyde (born September 20, 1990) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Ohio State University and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Hig ...

. He was placed on injured reserve on December 30, 2015. He was re-signed on March 2, 2016 to a one-year deal. In Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams, he stiff armed his way into the end zone. On October 23, against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

, he scored a long touchdown catch. On November 20, 2016, he scored a receiving touchdown against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

. In the 2016 season, Draughn had 196 rushing yards with 4 rushing touchdowns. He also had 263 receiving yards and 2 receiving touchdowns.

New York Giants

On March 21, 2017, Draughn signed a one-year contract with the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. He was released on September 2, 2017.

Retirement

Draughn announced his retirement on November 24, 2018.

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bioSan Francisco 49ers bioCleveland Browns bioKansas City Chiefs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Draughn, Shaun 1987 births Living people American football return specialists American football running backs American football safeties Baltimore Ravens players Chicago Bears players Cleveland Browns players Indianapolis Colts players Kansas City Chiefs players New York Giants players North Carolina Tar Heels football players People from Tarboro, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina San Diego Chargers players San Francisco 49ers players Washington Redskins players