Tennessee RB Dylan Sampson confirmed as most polarizing RB prospect in 2025 NFL Draft as analysts debate where he will be selected
What a season it was for Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson. After being a key rotational player his first two seasons, Sampson became one of the best in college football in 2024 while rushing for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns. In many ways, Sampson was the heart and soul of the Volunteer offense. Sampson is […]
What a season it was for Tennessee running back Dylan Sampson. After being a key rotational player his first two seasons, Sampson became one of the best in college football in 2024 while rushing for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns. In many ways, Sampson was the heart and soul of the Volunteer offense.
Sampson is now attempting to prove his worth as one of the very best running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft class. Some NFL Draft analysts, however, are pretty split on Sampson. A to Z Sports analysts Rob Gregson and myself have quite the difference of opinion on Sampson. While he ranks Sampson as the No. 6 running back in the class, I have him quite a bit lower at No. 17.
Here are both sides, and the varying opinions.
Case for Sampson as an early-round pick
Dylan Sampson is a bit of an acquired taste. He's not overly big or tall, doesn't have tons of reps in the passing game, and we don't have laser times on his 40-yard dash. But when you watched him with the Vols, you saw the best player on their offense in 2024. A guy who has an elite jump cut, with the torque to get through a hole and the top-end horsepower to hit his head on the goalpost. I want power and fall-forward ability out of my back, or I want fear every time he touches the ball (both would be nice). Sampson strikes that fear into defenses, or at least he did at the collegiate level. I think it can translate to the NFL.
Case for Sampson to fall in the Draft
The biggest selling point for Sampson’s game is speed, having a deep track and field background coming out of high school. While his speed is good, Sampson’s play speed isn’t to the level you would expect. He also comes out of a system that is wide open, and allows for some very easy reads and running lanes. That has made evaluating Sampson’s vision to be a bit of a mixed bag, with some questionable decision making.
At just 200 pounds, Sampson’s game is not predicated on power. You are hoping he can land in a very specific situation to succeed. It’s possible that Sampson finds just that, but players with such a niche skill set will ultimately need to have their expectations tempered. They will be unplayable for certain systems, basically anything other than an outside zone heavy scheme.
