Larison did it all at UC Davis last season.
The New England Patriots have made many undrafted free agent signings since the 2025 NFL Draft concluded in late April.
One of the most interesting additions was running back Lan Larison.
He ran for 1,465 yards with 17 touchdowns, in addition to 62 receptions for 874 yards and six more touchdowns for UC Davis last season. He also never fumbled in his college career.
Larison was one of the standouts at Patriots rookie minicamp over the last week. On the latest episode of NBC Sports Boston’s Next Pats Podcast, Phil Perry gave his takeaways from Larison’s performance at the rookie practices, and then he interviews UC Davis head coach Tim Plough.
“There weren’t many running backs out there, so Larison got a lot of reps, but he stood out with what looked like pretty fluid receiver skills,” Perry said.
“… Where Larison stood out was his ability to get out of the backfield and catch the football smoothly. And to me, if he’s able to stack (good) days, I think there’s a real chance based on this guy’s production, his athletic talent, his willingness to do just about anything, that he makes this roster.”
One of the most impressive aspects of Larison’s skill set is his versatility. He can positively impact the team in so many areas. He’s obviously a talented running back, but he also excelled as a kick returner and on other special teams units for UC Davis.
“I think what makes Lan really special for the Patriots organization, and I know that coach (Mike) Vrabel and his staff know this, is Lan’s humility,” Plough said. “Lan knows he’s an undrafted free agent. He’s not going in there thinking he’s going to be the starting tailback. He knows to make the team he’s going to have to be a special teams guy. And there’s no doubt in my mind that Lan is an elite special teams player.
“He led our team in tackles on the punt team. That’s the best player in the country in FCS and he wants to be on the punt team and leads the team in tackles. He was an All-American kick returner as a freshman, so he could be on the kickoff, kickoff return, punt return, punt team. He can start on all four special teams units right now and be elite at it.
“And I think him providing depth at running back — if he ends up being the (Rex) Burkhead-type that is your third tailback, that can go in there and help you get out of a game or help you in certain scenarios, he’ll be great. But I think he’ll thrive on special teams. I think he’s a great teammate. But that environment, led by Vrabel, is perfect for him. I think he’ll thrive initially on special teams, and then they’ll start to carve his way out offensively.
“For us, he did everything. You don’t see a lot of tailbacks catch 75 passes in college. He was pretty remarkable. And he never got tired, and he touched the ball 35 times a game for us and never came out of a game. So I think he’s a unique person. He understands the situation he’s in, so I expect him to thrive and do really well.”
Larison will have plenty of competition for a roster spot. The running back depth chart in New England is pretty crowded and includes Rhamondre Stevenson, Antonio Gibson, rookie TreVeyon Henderson, Terrell Jennings and UDFAs Brock Lampe and Duane Martin.