Kenneth Shaun Draughn ( "drone"; born December 7, 1987) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

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 American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

and 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

in 2011. Draughn was also a member of eight other NFL teams.

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 area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the town had a population of 10,721. It is the county seat of Edgeco ...

, to ministers Shirley and Kenneth Draughn. He attended Tarboro High School, 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 or none in the case of a silent letter; any of the symbols of an alphabet * Letterform, the g ...

in football as a

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

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 typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

, and

. As a junior, Draughn recorded 952 yards and 18 touchdowns. As a senior, he recorded 253

rushing Rushing means a sudden forward motion, or a surge or onslaught. Rushing may refer to: Tactics * Rush (gridiron football), advancing the ball by running on offense. On defense, charging the quarterback or kicker is a pass rush. * Human wave atta ...

attempts for 1,452 yards, and 21 touchdowns. Draughn received all-league honors and was named the Red Zone Player of the Week thrice and the Eastern Plains Offensive Player of the Year. '' The Daily Sentinel'' and '' The Daily Southerner'' 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 In the summer of 1996, Thomson Newspapers traded the ''Telegram'' to Cox Newspapers in exchange for six newspapers in Arizo ...

'' named him the offensive player of the year. Rivals.com named Draughn the 10th-ranked, SuperPrep named him the 12th-ranked, and ''

The Charlotte Observer ''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. It is owned by Chatham Asset ...

'' 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

At the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

, Draughn sat out the 2006 season on

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

status. Draughn 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 Canadian football, or simply football, is a Sports in Canada, sport in Canada in which two teams of ...

. In

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, he 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 ...

. Draughn saw action as a

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

against

James Madison James Madison (June 28, 1836) was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fourth president of the United States from 1809 to 1817. Madison was popularly acclaimed as the ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. He recorded five tackles, including two solo. In

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, Draughn saw action in all 13 games as a tailback and recorded 198 carries for 866 yards and three touchdowns to go along with 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 National Football League draft, 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 Rad ...

. 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 gridiron football, 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. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

. 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 Ewart Haron "Jackie" Battle III (born October 1, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, and Tenness ...

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 ...

due to a foot injury sustained in the Chiefs' Christmas Day loss to the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

. Draughn played against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

in the season finale as a special teamer. Before the 2012 season started, Draughn was listed as the third-string running back. 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

, Draughn scored his first career touchdown as the Chiefs 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 in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

. Draughn finished the 2012 season with 59 carries for 233 yards and two touchdowns.

Baltimore Ravens

While Draughn was again listed as the third of four running backs on the Chiefs' depth chart, he was released 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. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

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

Indianapolis Colts

On December 17, 2013, the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

announced they had placed

Pat Angerer on season-ending injured reserve and had signed Draughn. Four days later, 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

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.

Cleveland Browns

On December 3, 2014, Draughn signed with the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. On March 6, 2015, the Browns re-signed him to another contract. On September 5, Draughn was waived by the Browns. The next day, he cleared waivers and was signed to the Browns' practice squad. On September 12, Draughn was promoted to the active roster. He only played five games with the Browns, recording two carries for 10 yards.

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 and nicknamed the 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 ...

due to an injury to starter,

Carlos Hyde Carlos Hyde (born September 20, 1990) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes football, Ohio Stat ...

. Draughn was placed on injured reserve on December 30, 2015. Draughn was re-signed to a one-year deal on March 2, 2016. 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 (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

, 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. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

. In the 2016 season, Draughn had 196 rushing yards and four touchdowns to go along with 263 receiving yards and two 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. He was released on September 2, 2017.

Retirement

Draughn announced his retirement on November 24, 2018.

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels 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 Sportspeople from Tarboro, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina San Diego Chargers players San Francisco 49ers players Washington Redskins players