Courtesy of the Las Vegas Raiders

It did not take long for former New Hampshire running back Dylan Laube very long to make a favorable impression with the Las Vegas Raiders. In fact, it took him one day of training camp. 

Laube’s performance on the first day of camp caught the attention of the media and his coaches alike. 

The Raiders drafted the all-everything running back in the sixth round of April’s NFL Draft. The plan has been all along to use Laube on special teams and as a change of piece back to starter Zamir White and veteran back up Alexander Mattison.

Laube has other plans however. He has caught people’s attention with his work ethic and how fast he is thus far. Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce was asked about Laube yesterday and he heaped a fair amount of praise on the former Wildcat.

“That dude is special. I like him. He just walks around with that Long Island smile, he’s gritty. ” Pierce said. “He surprises you with his speed. Really good after the catch, even when he’s running the ball..”

Laube was a difficult match-up at UNH, setting school record as a runner, receiver and return man. He was one of the most running backs in the country the last two years, at any level. Now he brings his skill set and speed to the NFL where he has drawn comparisons to Christian McCaffery and Danny Woodhead. 

At 5-10 206, Laube is smaller than McCaffery but bigger than Whitehead. While his game maybe similar to theirs, Laube could potentially be just impactful as a rookie as McCaffery was because of his ability to return kicks. It is his calling card and why he will ultimately make the Raiders.

Pierce reiterated that in his press conference. 

“I think he will be a difficult match-up, especially when we put the pads on. I think he adds value as a third down back and as a returner.” 

No one in New England is surprised that Laube is turning heads already. He did that at UNH for the last four years. If he is half the player he was for the Wildcats, he will have a good NFL career.