New England Patriots - NESN.com
Lan Larison made a call to UC Davis head coach Tim Plough well before the 2025 NFL Draft concluded.
Larison, the FCS All-American and three-time Big Sky Conference honoree, had just received a call from New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel. Vrabel and company put in an early word and expressed their interest in the dual-threat running back.
“I thought he was calling me because he got drafted,” Plough told NESN.com, referencing Larison’s call during the fifth- or sixth-round.
Larison was thought to be a sixth- or seventh-round pick.
“He was calling me to say he already decided he was going to be a Patriot,” Plough said. “And I’m like, ‘Well, you might still get drafted, Lan.’ And he’s like, ‘Well, yeah, that’s if I don’t get drafted.’
“They (Patriots) were so forward-thinking, and they were reaching out to him far before the draft even ended,” Plough continued. “And I think the personal calls from coach Vrabel. Those things — I haven’t been coaching the NFL, I have a bunch of buddies in the NFL, but those things don’t happen in the NFL. I know that for a fact. I know that the head coach isn’t personally calling undrafted free agent guys, you know? And so I think that really spoke to Lan and his family that like, ‘Hey, this guy’s different, this culture, this environment, this franchise is different.'”
Larison went undrafted. He signed with the Patriots shortly after they selected cornerback Kobee Minor with the “Mr. Irrelevant” 257th pick. Larison reportedly earned one of the richest guaranteed deals of any of the undrafted players, though, rivaling draftees. The Patriots wanted Larison and outbid others to make it happen.
“When he asked me what I thought, I said, ‘Lan, that is the perfect place for you to go,'” Plough said. “First thing I thought was this couldn’t be a better fit.”
Plough credited Vrabel, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and New England’s long line of versatile running backs as a few reasons why. Plough compared Larison to former Patriots like Rex Burkhead, Danny Woodhead and Kevin Faulk when he previously spoke to NFL scouts.
The way it played out was something you couldn’t script, Plough hinted.
“It was just pretty funny to hear him say he already knows it’s the Patriots when the draft isn’t even over yet,” he said.
Vrabel reportedly showed an aggressive approach when it came to multiple undrafted players, Efton Chism III and Larison, specifically. Those players now will compete to become New England’s next undrafted gem with Vrabel’s roster-building techniques already standing out.
