The Las Vegas Raiders selected running back Dylan Laube out of New Hampshire back in 2024 with the 208th overall pick. He was a multi-faceted player who came from a smaller school, so he drew many Danny Woodhead comparisons during the pre-draft process.
His first two seasons were largely disappointing, especially because fans, for some reason, had Christian McCaffrey-level expectations for him. But Laube has stuck around in Las Vegas through several coaching changes because of his special-teams play.
Whether it was making tackles in kick coverage or returning punts and kicks, Laube showed his value to the team. And this year, fans are starting to see him elevate to one of the best kick returners in the NFL and a potential Pro Bowl selection.
Laube is at the top of the league in yards per kick return at 34.1, which leads the NFL by about 3 yards per return over the second-place player. He is also making an impression on special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis, who praised Laube before Week 9's matchup.
"The kid's really having a good year. He brings great preparation, and it's coming to life during a game. He prepares like that during the week, practices hard, studies hard, watches a lot of film, and he's doing a great job for us."
Of course, DeCamillis has played a big role in that.
Dylan Laube is having a breakout season as a kick returner
Earlier in the offseason, when Just Blog Baby interviewed Laube, he spoke about the evolving special teams role that the Raiders had in store for him. At the time, he seemed excited about the challenge, and he has fully lived up to it.
"I know I’m going to be one of our main special teams guys. I’ve always embraced that, and now, just me looking as a guy that’s going to be a leader on special teams, it’s going to be super important."
DeCamillis has done a great job of designing kick returns that allow Laube to make plays. The Raiders' kick return unit plays like a lead outside zone concept, which makes it perfect for a running back like him. Laube can read it like he is running the football, which has led to big plays.
Of course, this was the first touchdown by a kick returner all year. Laube has a lead blocker, and Dareke Young and the rest of the unit flow to the left. Laube reads it and decides to get outside. With a finishing block from Ian Thomas, he takes it to the house for six.
Raiders are basically running a lead outside zone on the kickoff.
— Marcus Johnson (@TheMarcJohnNFL) November 5, 2026
The blocks from Young and Thomas got Laube free down the sideline pic.twitter.com/wY6iOUCFkL
It is consistent across the board on their kickoff returns this season.
Against the Chiefs, they use the same type of design for a big kick return. The Raiders set up a similar lead outside zone design. This time, Laube takes the cutback lane. He then does the rest, breaking tackles and setting the offense up with great field position.
Laube is proving his worth to this football team even without getting carries on offense. He is on pace for a Pro Bowl selection if he keeps it up as a returner. Hopefully it happens for the Silver and Black, as they have the offense to take advantage of the field position.
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