Dylan Sampson played a pivotal role in Tennessee's offensive success in 2024. If the throwing game was struggling, Josh Heupel and the Vols knew they could lean on Sampson to get yards on the ground and keep the offense alive.
Heupel's confidence in Sampson led to a phenomenal season, rushing for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns, setting a program record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season.
Those totals were also the top rushing yards and touchdowns in the SEC, solidifying Sampson as the best SEC back throughout the 2024 season.
While Sampson has proven he is capable of being dominant on the ground, he hopes to be more versatile for the Cleveland Browns. That includes being a great running back and a back that can also be a pass catcher.
"I feel very confident in [catching the ball as a running back]," said Sampson. "That's something that I wasn't able to showcase a lot at Tennessee, but I feel like I was able to showcase what could be at my Pro Days and at the combine.
"Anytime I could run routes, I ran routes. I'm looking forward to getting advice from the receivers here. They have great receivers here. Obviously, I played with Cedric Tillman (at Tennessee), so there's a relationship there. But, yeah, I'm looking to be as versatile as I can be."
Route running wasn't something Sampson had many opportunities to do at Tennessee. He would often stay in protection during pass plays to ensure Nico Iamaleava had enough time to find a receiver downfield.
Sampson had 20 receptions for 143 receiving yards last year, offering the ability to catch passes out of the backfield, but Heupel did not spend much time doing that in his offensive system.
The former Tennessee running back knows he can be a pass catcher and emphasized that he wants to do that at the next level.
"I also wanted to show my receiving capabilities," said Sampson after his Pro Day workout. "Show that I can run routes and catch the ball naturally.
"That's something I know I can do, all along," Sampson continued. "I just didn't get much of a chance to show it. But hopefully, all the scouts and all the coaches out here saw that. Even though I haven't practiced it that much, that it's still natural to me. The sky's the [limit] for me in the receiver aspect.
"A lot of (NFL) teams believe that I can be an asset in the passing game, but I just haven't got a chance to show it. I think a lot of teams had questions, but hopefully they're starting to see that."
Whether the Browns were one of those teams that believed they could utilize Sampson in the passing game out of the backfield, he is versatile enough to do just about anything the Browns could need him to do in their offense.
Depending on what the coaches prepare him to do, he can be a power back, finesse back, or receiving back. He has shown a little of each at Tennessee, although the receiving back piece of the puzzle was the least utilized aspect in Heupel's offense.