ESPN admits they overlooked Tennessee Vols player as a recruit, but they say he won't be overlooked a second time
ESPN recently reranked the 2022 college football recruiting class and they admitted that they somewhat overlooked Tennessee Vols running back Dylan Sampson. Sampson was rated by ESPN as a three-star recruit and the No. 57 running back in the 2022 recruiting class. The Baton Rouge native ended up playing three seasons at Tennessee and set […]
ESPN recently reranked the 2022 college football recruiting class and they admitted that they somewhat overlooked Tennessee Vols running back Dylan Sampson.
Sampson was rated by ESPN as a three-star recruit and the No. 57 running back in the 2022 recruiting class.
The Baton Rouge native ended up playing three seasons at Tennessee and set a couple of program records as a junior in 2024 (single season rushing yards record and single season rushing touchdowns record). Sampson was also named as the SEC offensive player of the year this past season.
Unsurprisingly, Sampson declared for the 2025 NFL Draft after Tennessee's loss to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
With Sampson heading to the NFL, ESPN says overlooking him a second time "would be a mistake".
From ESPN: As a high schooler, Sampson had the look of an undersized scatback-type runner with impressive balance to remain on his feet after contact. Clearly, we didn't give him enough credit in terms of shouldering the load. Sampson rushed for 1,491 yards, 22 touchdowns and 5.8 yards per carry once he became Josh Heupel's lead back this past season, winning SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors. He also caught 20 passes. Even with this year's draft class loaded with productive college rushers, overlooking Sampson a second time would be a mistake.
Sampson was recently ranked by Pro Football Focus draft analyst Trevor Sikkema as the No. 53 overall player in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Draft rankings will change over the next few weeks/months as pre-draft events get underway. Sampson, though, will have a chance to boost his draft stock and it wouldn't be a surprise if he sneaks into the end of the second round.
