2024 CAA Football

2024 NFL Draft Overview: New Hampshire Star Dylan Laube Is A Triple Threat

2024 NFL Draft Overview: New Hampshire Star Dylan Laube Is A Triple Threat

New Hampshire All-American Dylan Laube can find a role in the pros as a ball-carrier, receiver and returner. Learn more about Laube's NFL draft outlook.

Mar 7, 2024
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Dylan Laube did it all in his time with New Hampshire football, and the qualities that made the running back an All-American in both 2022 and 2023 also make him an intriguing prospect for the 2024 NFL draft. 

But deeming Laube simply a "running back" undersells his contributions to UNH, as well as his potential in the pros. Yes, he carried the ball 556 times for 2,773 yards and 29 touchdowns over essentially four seasons at UNH, including a 2022 campaign in which he was among the nation's most active rushers. 

Laube ran 245 times for 1,205 yards with 15 touchdowns as the Wildcats won a share of the 2022 Coastal Athletic Association championship. His standout performances included a 147-yard performance in which Laube racked up almost seven yards per carry against a stout Elon defense. 

Highlights: Elon Vs. New Hampshire

The qualities that fueled Laube's on-field rushing production were reflected at the NFL draft combine with his 4.02-second, 20-yard shuttle time. 

Laube's explosiveness in changing direction served him well in the CAA, as he gained a reputation as one of the most elusive ball-carriers in the nation. 

For as productive as Laube proved carrying the ball, he was equally impressive as a pass-catcher. Laube eclipsed 400 yards receiving in three separate seasons, and truly showed off his potential in the passing game in 2023. 

 Laube led the Wildcats almost across the board in receiving statistics with 68 catches — 26 more than the next-most active UNH pass-catcher; 699 yards and 69.9 per game; and seven touchdowns.

His 295-yard outing against Central Michigan became the talk of college football last September, starting with Chippewas coach Jim McElwain. McElwain, who has overseen offenses that included such noteworthy names as Julio Jones and Rashard Higgins, said that "No. 20...made us look foolish."

Quarterback Max Brosmer was one of three finalists invited to attend the 2023 season's Walter Payton Award ceremony, and Brosmer's lofty numbers were a direct reflection of Laube's impact.

Running backs who function as not just reliable pass-catchers, but almost as another wide receiver have proven invaluable. That's as true in the NFL as at the collegiate level, with four of the professional league's top 45 pass-catchers in the 2023 season playing running back.

Widen the scope further, and 19 of the NFL's 100 leading receivers in the past season were running backs. That's a group that includes Cleveland's Jerome Ford and Isiah Pacheco of Kansas City, two players of size comparable to Laube. 

Laube should command NFL interest either as a change-of-pace back for his uncanny pass-catching, or an every-down back more in the vein of a Pacheco than the prototype of a 6-foot-2, 230-pound thumper. Adding further intrigue, however, is Laube's potential on special teams. 

Each of Laube's All-American seasons culminated in the UNH star leading the nation in all-purpose yards. In 2022, Laube averaged 194.3 per game, almost 23 more than then next-most prolific player in the FCS. 

Laube pumped up his production to a whopping 209.5 all-purpose yards per game in 2023, 40-plus more than the subdivision's No. 2. His contributions in the return game factored into Laube's eye-popping statistics. 

He averaged 31.1 yards per kickoff return in 2023, up from 27.5 in 2022. Laube ran back kickoffs for touchdowns in both campaigns. 

Were that not enough, Laube returned punts for touchdowns in both 2022 and 2023, giving him the rare four-way scoring season in back-to-back seasons — putting him in company with past college greats like Reggie Bush and Christian McCaffrey. 

His impressive showing at the NFL draft combine demonstrated to a new audience all the traits that made Dylan Laube one of the most exciting players in college football. 

Offering a diverse repertoire and the ability to change the game across three separate phases should make Laube a fit for any number of pro organizations eyeing to make a splash in the middle rounds of the 2024 NFL draft.