Dylan Laube could be a change of pace back in Washington’s RB room

Hogs Haven takes a look at 2024 NFL Draft prospects that could contribute to the Commanders

Dylan Laube, RB
School: New Hampshire | Conference: Coastal Athletic Association (FCS)
College Experience: Senior | Age: 21
Height / Weight: 5’9” / 210 lbs
Projected Draft Status: Rounds 4-5

Player Comp: Danny Woodhead (aka Markdown McCaffrey)

College Statistics

Player Overview

When Dylan Laube was looking to play football in college, FCS University of New Hampshire was the only school to offer him a scholarship. Once he got to New Hampshire, however, he made the most of the opportunity. Over the course of his last two years in school, he led the entire FCS in all-purpose yards per game for both seasons, accumulating over 3,000 yards rushing and receiving, capped off by 37 touchdowns, and added over 1,300 yards in special teams’ returns.

Laube’s versatility, in terms of being a running back who can split out as an accomplished wide receiver, as well as help in the special teams game, has been one of his biggest draws:

“Dylan was a great leader for us this fall as a captain,” New Hampshire’s running backs coach Thomas Herion said. “From an offensive perspective, we found different ways to get him the ball other than at running back. We would use his athleticism in the slot, which he showcased against Central Michigan putting up an NCAA RB Record of 295 receiving yards. It was hard for linebackers to match him out of the backfield. We also used him in the return game which helped him average over 200 all-purpose yards per game, which led all of college football. He is a coach’s dream from a performance, leadership, and work ethic standpoint.”

During his senior year, Laube was awarded the CAA’s Special Teams Player of the Year award, returning both a punt and kickoff for touchdowns.

Laube’s stock jumped dramatically after a stand-out performance in the Senior Bowl this year.

Strengths

• Has experience as a kick-off and punt returner in college.
• Can line up as a running back or as a slot wide receiver.
• Very good route runner.
• Has excellent hands.
• YAC threat.
• Great vision in the open field.
• Solid pass protector.

Weaknesses

• Played against lesser competition.
• Not a particularly powerful runner.
• Has limited change of direction capacity.
• Athleticism is mid-range.

Let’s See His Work

How He Would Fit

With a shift to a dramatically different offensive scheme in the works for Washington this offseason, driven by the transition from Eric Bieniemy to Kliff Kingsbury, lots of questions remain as to how existing players on the roster will fit into the new system.

In various versions of the Air Raid offense, the rushing game tends to be “inside zone” heavy – that is, running the ball between the tackles after the offensive line has opened the defense upfield – or focused on getting the running back the ball in space with short passes.

It turns out, that’s actually a style of play that Brian Robinson is probably well-suited to. Chris Rodriguez is perhaps a little less experienced in that system, but may be able to adapt to it as well.

Much of whether it makes sense to draft a player like Laube comes down to the team’s plan with Antonio Gibson this offseason. He will be a free agent soon, and he was probably the team’s most dangerous running back in space. Laube could duplicate that skillset, as he’s capable of being dangerous out of the backfield or in a slot receiver role.

A Day 3 flyer on Laube could result in an explosive, early addition to Kingsbury’s arsenal.