WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. -- Rookie running back Daniel Lasco made his presence felt Thursday during the New Orleans Saints' most physical practice to date.
And it was friend and fellow rookie Vonn Bell, specifically, who felt that presence.
Lasco, who is listed at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds (but said he is closer to 215) showed off his prowess as a power runner on a handful of plays. But he made his biggest impact when he plowed into Bell at the end of a long run.
Unfortunately, as NOLA.com’s Josh Katzenstein pointed out Friday, the visiting officials said Lasco’s hit would have been flagged since he led with the crown of his helmet.
Daniel Lasco hits Vonn Bell with the truck stick. https://t.co/6E7bWDUPfA
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) August 4, 2016
Lasco, a seventh-round draft choice out of Cal, said he and Bell have become great friends this year. But he said he was looking for payback on the second-round pick after an earlier hit Bell laid on him.
“I’m running around the side, and I got wrapped up, and Vonn comes in clean and cleans me up. So I was like, ‘All right, Vonn, all right. So next time I got you, I’ll remember that,’” Lasco said. “And so when I finally got the opportunity, I hit it right up in the seam, the offensive line opened it up great, and then I saw Vonn sitting there, and he was kind of backpedaling a little bit, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is the opportunity, I've got to take it.’
“So after that I did that, I got up and I said, 'C'mon bro, you expected it, I got you back. I’m getting’ you back, it’s all good.’”
When told that someone suggested he could be a hybrid fullback, Lasco quickly said, “No, not a fullback. I’m not a fullback. But I am physical, especially now when we’re focusing on [those types of runs in this practice session]. … I’m a power back, almost 215. I can run in the open field when I need to. But if I need to drop the pads, I need to drop the pads.”
Lasco probably would have been drafted higher if his senior year hadn’t been stalled by hip and ankle injuries that limited him to just 331 rushing yards and three touchdowns in nine games. A year earlier, he ran for 1,115 yards and scored 14 touchdowns, earning Cal’s team MVP honor ahead of quarterback Jared Goff.
Lasco then dazzled at the NFL scouting combine, with a broad jump of 11 feet, 3 inches that was the best ever for a running back and a vertical leap of 41.5 inches that tied DB Jalen Ramsey for the best of any player at any position this year.
Lasco will have trouble cracking the Saints’ running back rotation, with Mark Ingram, Tim Hightower, C.J. Spiller, Marcus Murphy and Travaris Cadet all in the mix.
But like fellow rookie Tommylee Lewis -- who also had a terrific practice Thursday -- special teams will offer Lasco a route to the 53-man roster. Lasco was a standout on kickoff coverage at Cal, which is the main reason why the Saints drafted him.
“When you get a running back who can cover and do some of those things, that’s a big plus,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “He’s got exceptional speed burst. … We’re still learning a little bit about, as a runner, what his strengths are. [But] based on the special-teams film that I saw, I think he’s going to be a guy that’ll be willing and pretty effective.”
Lasco said he takes “great pride” in playing special teams.
“It’s a passion of mine. Football is a passion of mine,” Lasco said. “I came here as a running back. But right now I’m trying to focus on getting on this team … and helping this team win in any way I can. And if they believe I can fit as a center on kickoff return, then I’m going to do the best center I possibly can on kickoff return. If they switch me around, I’m going to figure out a way to be the best I possibly can be at that position. Because it’s going to help me down the road.”