NFL Draft: Westhampton's Dylan Laube selected by Raiders in sixth round
Dylan Laube celebrates after hearing the news that he was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2024 NFL Draft on Saturday, April 27, 2024. Credit: Gary Licker
Dylan Laube spoke with plenty of teams throughout the months-long predraft process about his versatility on the field and what he might be able to contribute as a runner, a receiver, and on special teams. When he spoke briefly with the Raiders at the Senior Bowl in January, though, they weren’t interested in his stats or positions.
They wanted to know about him and if he might fit in with the personality of the team they are trying to build.
Apparently he does.
The Raiders selected Laube, the running back who won the Hansen Award as the top player in Suffolk County while starring at Westhampton High School and later dominated the FBS level at the University of New Hampshire, with the 208th pick in the sixth round of the NFL draft on Saturday. The call ended a long day of waiting for Laube as other running backs went off the board, but he gladly donned a hat that coincidentally matched his black shirt and gray slacks . . . not to mention the kind of growling snarl that personifies his new franchise.
“My whole life, I’ve always had that chip on my shoulder, from pewee until now,” Laube said of his journey from overlooked high school recruit to draft pick. “I’ve always wanted to prove who I was. I don’t want to curse, but I have always said ‘screw everyone,’ and I just focus on myself, and I just grind.
Laube joins Will Goncalves, an offensive lineman from Eastport-South Manor High School, as a pair of East End products drafted. Goncalves was selected by the Colts in the third round on Friday night.
JJ Lassap, a receiver from Ward Melville who played at Div. III Cortland signed as an undrafted free agent with the Rams Saturday.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
