Silver And Black Pride
Sixth-round rookie can make veteran Ameer Abdullah expendable
Tom Telesco hinted early on, shortly after he was hired as Las Vegas Raiders general manager, that the team may to take a running-back-by-committee-approach instead having a bell cow back when Josh Jacobs was the unquestioned starter.
Based on the moves Telesco made at tailback, the committee is shaping up.
The Silver & Black’s chief personnel man went about adding more talent to the running back room by brining in veteran Alexander Mattison via free agency, re-upping veteran Ameer Abdullah, and drafting Dylan Laube out of New Hampshire in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft (208th overall). In total, Las Vegas has six running backs on the roster and each bring something different to the table.
Zamir White is the favorite to get early carries as the “starter” while Mattison and Abdullah offer change of pace skills and third-down back potential as pass catchers out of the backfield.
And then, there’s Laube (pronounced la-ow-bee). He’s a late-round prospect who is older at 24 years old, but he brings the most balanced skillset and production as not only a ball carrier and pass catcher, but he’s a special teams hound. And, if he develops in time, he can make Abdullah redundant and expendable.
By The Numbers: Dylan Laube
Laube impressed at the Senior Bowl with his low center of gravity as a running back and his ability to run routes both out of the backfield and split out wide as a pass catcher. Displaying the shiftiness and smooth cuts and hands, the New Hampshire back showed that his small school production wasn’t a fluke.
The 5-foot-10, 206-pound running back is also has the work ethic that Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce loves and is a quick study. Laube’s versatility and progression will entail his role this coming season and beyond.
Offensive Fit
The expectations for Laube aren’t lofty like his higher draft classmen, however, with his ability to run and catch, the New York native has an opportunity to carve out snaps on offense. If Las Vegas does go with the committee approach, the usage of multiple backs will keep the running back stable fresh while keeping opposing defenses off balance.
But with veterans Mattison and Abdullah on the roster, Laube is likely to be buried on the depth chart unless he showcases better third-down back talents. Both the veterans offer similar carry and catch skills and have done so at the NFL level already. But the Raiders have preached competition across the board and Laude does have the skill set to be a third-down back and everyone will be new to...
