Shaun Draughn hasn’t had that many opportunities in the first two preseason games, getting only 10 rushes for 16 yards.
But with his initials permanently stamped on the back of his legs, he’s still found a way to stand out.
I first noticed Draughn’s tattoos over a month ago when he first appeared in camp as an undrafted free agent. It took so long for the scoop because one does not simply ask a man to take a picture of his legs.
“It’s cool, man,” he said with a laugh. ”It’s just ‘S.D.,’ like my initials.”
Draughn explained how, in 2008, he needed something to commemorate his starting role in the Tar Heels offense.
“When I first moved to running back in college, I was like, ‘I should get something. I dunno what I want, but…’” he explained. ”And then when I got those, I can start running by defenders, and they can see the back of my calves from the ground.”
And then he shared the punchline to his tattoos, which sounded well-rehearsed: “When they see ‘SD,’ they know it’s a ‘TD.’”
Very clever.
In college, Draughn had the liberty of wearing socks that exposed his initials to would-be defenders. Unfortunately though, NFL rules stipulate that socks must be pulled up the knees.
“Yeah, you can’t even see it now,” he said sadly, “so it was just college-related then. I made sure my socks didn’t never go over my calves. They were like, right there.”
Alas, the regrets of getting a tattoo: sometimes it’s not what that matters, but where.
