https://www.vikings.com/news/get-to-know-cornerback-zemaiah-vaughn

Get to Know Vikings CB Zemaiah Vaughn

Throughout Vikings Training Camp, we'll be running a "Get to Know" series spotlighting first- and second-year players to share more of their stories and familiarize fans with Minnesota's roster.

EAGAN, Minn. — Zemaiah Vaughn initially thought it might be a joke.

Nearing signing day following his high school career at Beaumont United, Vaughn had one collegiate offer from nearby Lamar University. Until a coach from Utah came to the school after watching Vaughn's quarterback film — he had 854 passing yards with eight touchdowns and 1,049 rushing yards as a senior — and asked to speak to him.

"Man, how would you feel about playing DB?"

Excuse me?

"I didn't even think he was serious," Vaughn quipped. "I didn't have any Power 5 offers. That was my first one."

After understanding the proposition was quite serious, Vaughn returned it with an equally sincere response.

An opportunity to move beyond his small corner of Texas? "Yeah, I'm gonna go play DB."

Vaughn played his freshman season at free safety and then was moved to corner. Though he'd never lined up there before, he leaned on his experience at quarterback — understanding coverages and route concepts — and consistently put himself in position to make plays.

"I actually did better than I thought I would do," he laughed, "so they kept me there."

He admits there was a point, though, when he struggled with the change and inquired about moving back to QB or even receiver — "I missed having the ball in my hands" — but Utah Special Teams Coordinator/Cornerbacks Coach Sharrieff Shah encouraged him to stick with it.

Best decision of his life he acknowledged, grinning.

Vaughn went on to play four years at Utah, appearing in 56 games and making 31 straight starts to finish his career. As a senior, he totaled 40 tackles, one interception, 2.0 sacks, five tackles for loss and five passes defensed.

Though he of course hoped to be drafted, going unselected through the 2025 NFL Draft allowed Vaughn some flexibility on which team to sign with — and he now can't imagine being anywhere but Minnesota.

Asked what he likes best about playing with the Vikings, he chuckles and quickly fires back, "What's not to like?"

Learning from veterans like Byron Murphy, Jr., and Isaiah Rodgers has been invaluable for Vaughn over his first year-plus in the NFL, and he'll never take for granted spending his rookie campaign in a DBs room with Harrison Smith.

"I never told him this, but that was probably the coolest thing about this," Vaughn said. "I mean, I grew up watching this man, and then I got to sit right next to him in meetings? I just tried to pick up everything he was doing. Every note he took, I tried to write it down, too. I was like, 'Man, he's been in the league a long time; I'm going to pick up everything I can from him.' "

Vaughn spent most of 2025 on the Vikings practice squad before being elevated to the active roster for Minnesota's regular-season finale. He called last year's experience "very helpful," as every practice on the scout team pitted him against teammates like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

As he noted, "there's no way you can't get better" in that setting.

That experience is paying off, as Vaughn already has made a few plays in Vikings Training Camp. He stepped in with the first-team defense during Thursday afternoon's practice and absolutely held his own — plus leapt to deflect a pass down the sideline intended for Tai Felton. Those opportunities have continued.

No shade to Felton of course, but "playing against Justin Jefferson makes me pretty comfortable to play anyone else."

As Vaughn looks ahead to the remainder of his second training camp, his mindset is simple: keep improving. He's passionate about this game and committed to further developing his game with every rep.

"Try to do better than last year," he said. "Do anything I can to make this team."

What they're saying:

"Zemaiah has continuously improved, really, since he got here. He's got a lot of tools: size, length, speed. He's really worked hard in the weight room to kind of fill out. He's a little bit bigger this year, I would say, and that's showing up in his play — he's a little more physical at the line of scrimmage, he's able to use his length a little bit better, and he's got speed. So he's just trying to continually grow and getting better."

— Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores

Fun fact that people might not know:

"I'm big into music. If I wasn't playing football or my dad had his perfect world, me and my brothers would have probably been the next Jackson 5. I was the singer, and my brothers played the instruments. Drums, the bass piano, all of that."

5 Faves

Meal: Cajun pasta

TV show to binge: The Office

Salty snack: Pretzels

Childhood movie: Sky High

NFL Legend: Barry Sanders