Michael Dyer’s belongings were spread out over a corner bench.

The undrafted rookie running back had just made one of his biggest pushes yet to be a part of the Raiders’ 53-man roster, but he couldn’t even secure a locker in the crowded confines of the University of Minnesota stadium for the Raiders’ exhibition against the Vikings.

“This is my little corner,” Dyer said after a 12-carry, 45-yard performance in Saturday’s loss to the Vikings.

The visitor’s locker room on the campus stadium of the University of Minnesota, where the Vikings are playing until their new digs opens next year, is designed for college teams, not a 90-person exhibition season NFL roster.

Players had to share lockers. But for Dyer, his number was simply slapped above a bench near the rest of the running backs. Going undrafted makes you as unheralded as they come, but Dyer is good at finding the bright side of situations.

“I’ve got more room,” Dyer said of his bench. “You’ve got to look at the bright side. This is perfect.”

Even more perfect would be a spot on the team when the final roster is set Sept. 5. Dyer continues to make a strong push.

“If I just keep doing my job and doing what the coaches ask for, there will be a role available at the end of the day,” Dyer said. “Just keep striding, going for it, putting hard work in and let it just play out at the end.”

Dyer wasn’t always so unheralded. He was a freshman All-American in 2010 at Auburn and the offensive player of the game when it beat Oregon to win the BCS National Championship. He was an All-SEC performer the next year but was suspended for the team’s bowl game and elected to transfer to Arkansas State.

He never suited up there, getting dismissed from the team before he could sit out his redshirt year. He got his degree from Arkansas Baptist, where former San Jose State coach Fitz Hill is the president and served as a mentor to him, then played his final two seasons at Louisville.

Dyer’s numbers at Louisville, where he was hampered by injuries, never matched his back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons at Auburn, but the Raiders gave Dyer, 24, a chance after he performed well during a rookie tryout.

What Dyer showcased in the 20-12 exhibition loss at Minnesota is reminiscent of what he has done during practice: an ability to burst through an opening and a knack for setting up a run to gain most of the available real estate.

Dyer didn’t break any long runs in Minnesota. His best was a 7-yard carry, but he avoided taking losses, sometimes simply because of his ability to wiggle around defenders.

“Michael did what he’s been doing,” coach Jack Del Rio said. “He runs hard, very determined. He’s got a little juice to him. He’s showing up, making people miss, accelerating through some tackles and doing a pretty good job.”

On the flip side is Trent Richardson, the most likely obstacle to Dyer making the team. Richardson, a former No. 3 overall pick of the Cleveland Browns, is listed as the No. 2 running back on the depth chart behind Latavius Murray, but his roster spot isn’t assured.

Richardson is guaranteed $600,000 whether he makes the roster or not and that’s a hefty price to pay for someone not on the team. Dyer could go to the practice squad if he cleared waivers, but that’s no certainty. Another team with a 53-man spot open might claim him. That might not be a risk worth taking.

While it’s possible Dyer and Richardson could both make the squad, it seems unlikely.

Richardson hasn’t locked up the backup job, and Roy Helu Jr. has missed the past couple of weeks because of an undisclosed injury. Taiwan Jones offers special teams skills that make him a necessary roster piece, and he’ll have chances at the No. 2 job.

Dyer acknowledges he’s still adjusting to the speed of the NFL level, and it’s fair to point out that his work came late against reserves whereas Richardson entered in the third series against Minnesota’s starting defense.

Dyer might soon be deserving of those earlier snaps.

“I felt like I made a step,” Dyer said, “just by running and reading holes and protection-wise and just being part of the team.”

The next two weeks will determine if Dyer really is part of the team.