Rookie running back carving out role for himself in Raiders camp
COSTA MESA, Calif. — Dylan Laube had no idea what to expect when he stepped on the field for the first time at an NFL training camp.
The same goes for others in the league. After all, Laube, a sixth-round pick by the Raiders, had played at the University of New Hampshire, a Division I program in the lower level Football Championship Subdivision.
It was fair to wonder if the dual-threat running back was good enough to play on Sundays.
“Sometimes you watch film in college and, well, the guy played in New Hampshire,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. “Can you do that in the NFL?”
Seven practices into his professional career, it appears as if he can.
Makes early impression
Every practice, it seems, Laube is making a splash. It started on the first day when a curious Pierce watched him take his first true NFL steps. One productive rep after another drew an impressed reaction.
“Wow,” Pierce said.
It has continued from there.
“Nine on seven? Whew. Pops.” Pierce said. “Blitz pickup? Whew. Catch the ball out of the backfield? Whew.”
Within a few practices, Laube was working with the first- and second-team offense and taking considerable reps as the featured back in third-down periods.
“When you step on this field, you don’t really know what to truly expect,” Laube said. “That first day of camp was kinda my first step of, OK, I truly belong here. And it’s been all business since. So it’s been fun.”
The Raiders were intrigued by Laube’s multi-faceted resume he built at New Hampshire, where he ran for 2,773 yards and 29 touchdowns and caught 171 passes for 1,791 yards and 14 touchdowns in 46 games covering six seasons. The comparison was a little (Commanders running back) Austin Ekeler with some (retired RB) Danny Woodhead thrown in, with his road to playing time involving a heavy dose of special teams.
Laube is still in the Raiders’ special teams plans — he could be their primary kickoff returner — but the work he is getting in base and situational offense could open a door to more playing time than initially expected.
Less than two weeks into camp, though, he isn’t taking anything for granted.
“It’s practice,” Laube said. “In practice, the main thing goal is to get better every single day. And so at the same time, it’s not a big deal. I think me getting better every single day is super important.”
Keeping his head in playbook
The Raiders have put a lot on Laube’s plate. It’s not unusual to see him lined up in the backfield, the slot or out wide. They have handed him the ball, pitched it to him, thrown it to him on screens, intermediate routes and down the field.
He’s seamlessly handling all of it, a result of the command he has of the playbook. Laube credits friends who played in the NFL and drilled home the importance of knowing his assignments so he could play with confidence rather than hesitation.
“The thing about it is he’s not flashy,” Pierce said. “If you don’t really watch practice closely, you might miss him. But if you really watch the body of work … he’s being consistent.”
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
