Notre Dame football: Los Angeles Chargers sign Donte Vaughn

After going undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft, former Notre Dame cornerback Donte Vaughn was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Chargers.

Former Notre Dame cornerback Donte Vaughn went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft. However, soon after the conclusion of the draft process, the Los Angeles Chargers announced that they had signed Vaughn to an undrafted free agent contract.

This was not a surprising move as the Chargers were one of three NFL teams to have interviewed Vaughn prior to the NFL Draft. The former Irish cornerback will be joining fellow former Notre Dame teammates Alohi Gilman, Asmar Bilal, Drue Tranquill, Isaac Rochell, and Jerry Tillery on the Chargers roster.

Vaughn took over as a starter for the Irish at cornerback last season after Shaun Crawford suffered an injury. He would play admirably in Crawford’s absence, leading some draft experts to believe he may have earned a late-round selection in the draft.

Unfortunately, Vaughn would not receive an invitation to participate in the NFL Combine to showcase his talents in front of NFL evaluators. He hoped to be able to put his name into the draft conversation with a strong showing at the Notre Dame Pro Day. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was canceled and evaluators were forced to go strictly off of Vaughn’s game tape.

While Donte Vaughn has an uphill battle in front of him to make the Los Angeles roster, he represents a player who is a developmental cornerback prospect that could end up landing on their practice squad as he develops.