Former Catholic star Khalan Laborn among NFL hopefuls as training camps begin this week

Former Marshall running back Khalan Laborn has always believed he had a future in the NFL.

Last November he talked about those chances prior to the Thundering Herd’s game against Old Dominion.

“I feel like I’ve (gotten better) and I’m giving it my all,” he said. “I just want to put my best foot forward every time I step on the field. I want to stay locked in and keep my eye on the prize and my goal.”

Laborn’s NFL dream begins this week.

Laborn, who starred at Catholic High in Virginia Beach, reports to the San Francisco 49ers’ SAP Performance Facility in Santa Clara, California.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity and just ready to go to work,” he said this week.

Laborn wasn’t drafted but in May he agreed to terms with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent. Last season he rushed for 1,513 yards and 16 touchdowns along with 16 receptions for 116 yards for the Thundering Herd.

He will compete for a spot in the 49ers backfield that includes star running back Christian McCaffrey, third-year pro Elijah Mitchell, second-year players Jordan Mason and Tyrion Davis-Price and undrafted free agent Ronald Awatt.

Laborn won’t be the only local player at 49ers camp.

Former Hampton High star Dazz Newsome will be one of 11 wide receivers. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He has appeared in three games and has two receptions for 23 yards, as well as six punt returns for 75 yards. He was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad in November of 2022. In January, the 49ers signed him to a reserve/future contract.

Laborn and Newsome are two of many local athletes who will report to camp this week and next week:

The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs begin practice on July 23. Their roster includes defensive lineman Derrick Nnadi (Ocean Lakes), linebacker Cole Christiansen (Nansemond-Suffolk) and defensive end Daniel Wise, who spent his early years in Hampton Roads, along with his brother, Deatrich.

Nnadi was drafted in the third round (75th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. He resigned with the Chiefs in March. He has 193 tackles, four sacks and an interception. Christiansen entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020 before he signed with the Chiefs in 2022. Wise entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019. He’s also played with the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Commanders.

The Chicago Bears have defensive linemen Andrew Brown (Oscar Smith) and Jalyn Holmes (Lake Taylor). Brown — who has played with Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers — begins his fourth season in the NFL. He has 19 combined tackles.

Holmes, who was selected by the Vikings in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, begins his sixth season. He has played in 33 games with the Saints, Vikings and Bears. He has 60 combined tackles and five quarterback hurries.

Josh Sweat begins his sixth season with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles drafted him in the fourth round (130th overall) in 2018, and last season he played in the Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He has played in 71 games with 32 starts and has 152 tackles and 28.5 sacks.

Sweat returned to Hampton Roads over the summer when he held his inaugural Josh Sweat Under the Lights Combine.

Other local players in camps include: New York Giants quarterback Tyrod Taylor (Virginia Tech Hampton High), Cleveland Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Bethel), Minnesota Vikings linebacker Patrick Jones II (Grassfield), New England Patriots defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr. (Portsmouth native), Arizona Cardinals defensive back Bobby Price (Norfolk State/Catholic), and Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker De’Shaan Dixon (Norfolk State/Western Branch).

Taylor begins his 13th NFL season. He has played with the Baltimore Ravens (2011–2014), Buffalo Bills (2015–2017), Cleveland Browns (2018), Los Angeles Chargers (2019–2020), Houston Texans (2021) and New York Giants.

Owusu-Koramoah was drafted by the Browns in the second round (52nd overall) in 2021. He won the Butkus Award – given to the nation’s top linebacker – and was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American as a senior in 2020. In two NFL seasons, he has 146 tackles, eight passes defended and force four fumbles.

Jones was a second team-All-ACC standout at Pittsburgh. The Vikings drafted Jones in the third round (90th overall) in 2021. In 25 games, he has 34 tackles and four sacks.

Wise, drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round of the 2017 draft, begins his seventh season in New England. He had a career year in 2022, starting 16 games and finishiong with a career-high 7.5 sacks and 59 tackles.

New York Jets defensive back Chuck Clark (Virginia Tech/King’s Fork) will miss this season with an injury. After missing just two games over the first six years of his career, Clark suffered a torn ACL at practice on June 13. The Jets acquired Clark from the Baltimore Ravens in March.

Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com Follow @LHRubama on Twitter.