NFL Draft prospect uses his voice to inspire children
University of New Hampshire running back Dylan Laube has spoken more in the last year than he ever has. As team captain, he motivated the Wildcats with pre-game speeches. As a draft prospect, he had tried to motivate NFL front offices to call his name in a few days.
These are tall tasks for any draft prospect, especially one from an FCS school, but Laube also has a speech impediment. He connected with Athletes for Hope at the Senior Bowl, wanting to show kids with stutters that they can achieve anything that they set their minds to.
The spotlight has never shined brighter on 2024 NFL Draft prospect Dylan Laube. The New York native is a fifth-year player and played every season at UNH – an FCS (Division 1-AA) school that hasn’t had a player’s name called at the draft in 17 years.
These obstacles alone have deterred the dreams of many who put on a college football helmet, but not Laube. On top of these barriers from suiting up on Sundays, Dylan Laube has a stutter while playing a sport known for aggression and noise at the highest level.
Instead of giving up, Laube has embraced being underrated, and making it to the NFL has always been his dream. Before this past season, his teammates nominated him to be a team captain, the highest honor on any team. This thrusted him into more public speaking than he was used to, but his teammates were supportive, listening to what he said, and not how he said it. He backed up his inspirational words by dominating all over the field.
Laube led the whole FCS in all-purpose yards his final two seasons at New Hampshire, weaving through tacklers, running every route in the playbook out of the backfield and even taking opposing punts and kickoffs to the house as a returner. After his final season, his hard work paid off as he garnered a multitude of awards at the conference and FCS level and was invited to the coveted Senior Bowl, where the best seniors in the nation (mostly FBS players from schools like Michigan and Alabama) prove their abilities to NFL scouts.
At the Senior Bowl, Laube didn’t just prove he could hang with the top competition in college football, he excelled against them. Off the field, like the rest of the players, he was peppered by reporters and scouts about his performance and how his versatility could translate to the NFL.
Constantly verbalizing his skillset to NFL teams throughout the pre-draft process made Laube more conscious of his stuttering and he decided that he wanted to be a role model for kids who stutter.
That’s where Athletes for Hope stepped in. Every year, Athletes for Hope runs workshops at the Senior Bowl helping the future pros understand their platform and the value of giving back to a cause they are passionate about. Laube seized the opportunity, actively participating in the general workshops, but then going the extra mile to approach AFH representatives about his newfound passion for helping kids who stutter.
I’ve never let anything pull me down in my life, especially my stutter. And during this pre-draft process, I’ve enjoyed every second of it. I’ve always wanted to make a difference and show younger generations that we all face challenges and it should never slow you down on pursuing your dreams.
Dylan Laube, NFL Draft Prospect
AFH helped Laube get involved for the first time by using their wide network of non-profit organizations across the country to pair him with Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter. As the only nationwide non-profit organization dedicated solely to empowering young people who stutter and their families, Friends perfectly fits Laube’s goals off the field.
In the days leading up to the biggest days of his life, Laube took time out of his day crammed with workouts and Zoom meetings with NFL GMs to hop on a call with Friends’ Executive Director Caryn Herring to discuss how he could get involved in the organization.
Being someone who stutters can often feel isolating. Kids who stutter need to know that they are not alone and that they can live successful and courageous lives while stuttering. Seeing adults like Dylan openly stutter while following his dreams gives children a positive model for how to live with stuttering. Dylan’s involvement in Friends will help so many more kids who stutter find community, feel inspired to follow their dreams, and be encouraged to let their voices be heard.
Caryn Herring, Executive Director of Friends: The National Association of Young People Who Stutter
We wish Dylan Laube all the best this week, no matter which team calls his name. They will be lucky to have someone who goes the extra mile for himself and others, on top of being an amazing football player.