The Las Vegas Raiders are still in the process of figuring out which young players will be in big roles when the 2024 season kicks off. With the running back room still wide open, seventh-round rookie Dylan Laube has a very real chance of making an impact.
The former New Hampshire star was one of the better dual-threat backs, and the Raiders have a wide-open path to snaps in the backfield. Based on the early reviews from many of the Raiders coaches, it appears as though Laube is earning himself enough bonus points in his back pocket to possibly get an edge over a veteran.
Head coach Antonio Pierce said that Laube is "gritty" with his speed making him a "difficult matchup" in practice. The man in charge seems to be a big fan of him, as does brand new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy.
Getsy said that Laube is off to a "great start" at camp. Not only did Getsy say the game "comes naturally" to the former FCS dynamo, but Laube is reportedly avoiding many of the errors and pitfalls that normally befall young players entering camp. Altogether, this sounds like a rave review,
OC Luke Getsy on Dylan Laube: “He’s off to a great start. The game comes naturally to him. … He doesn’t really have the errors and that’s cool to see from a young guy.”#Raiders https://t.co/egsJpdYtbj
— Levi Edwards (@theleviedwards) July 29, 2024
Raiders coaches very interested in rookie RB Dylan Laube
The Raiders have the most wide-open running back room in the NFL. 2022 draftee Zamir White is considered the favorite to replace Josh Jacobs, but Laube, Alexander Mattison, and Ameer Abdullah could all vulture some carries away from him.
Laube's best skill right now is his pass-catching ability, as he was just one yard shy of recording 700 rushing and receiving yards in his final season with the Wildcats. While he doesn't have blazing speed, Laube has the short-area quickness and exceptional ball-carrier vision to be a weapon on passing downs.
On top of the normal FCS to NFL questions, Laube fell as far as he did due to concerns he lacks the power to run in between the tackles in the pros. While he is not likely to unseat White or Mattison at the top of the depth chart, he seems to be impressing the coaching staff enough to possibly run away with the RB3 role.
Laube is guaranteed next to nothing in the pros, as seventh-round picks can be discarded like a used napkin for the slightest infraction. With both Pierce and Getsy coming out with full-throated defenses for him, Laube has some powerful names in his corner.