Tennessee football is coming off another ten-win season in the Josh Heupel era, largely due to the production on the ground from running back Dylan Sampson. The junior back was overlooked as a high school recruit, but ESPN warns NFL franchises that it would be a mistake to overlook him in the NFL draft.
The five-foot-11, 201-pound back from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, rushed for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns in his junior season. He carried the Vols on the ground, which had seen a running back by committee approach in previous years.
After his record season in which he scored the most touchdowns in a single season in program history, Sampson has entered his name into the 2025 NFL Draft. The former three-star recruit was the No. 57 back in his class but could be drafted within the top 50 come April.
ESPN writer Billy Tucker reranked the 2022 recruiting class, moved Sampson from outside the ESPN top 300 to No. 24, and warned NFL franchises not to overlook Sampson in the upcoming draft.
"As a high schooler, Sampson had the look of an undersized scatback-type runner with impressive balance to remain on his feet after contact," Tucker wrote. "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 a key player in Tennessee's offense in 2024 and could be a valuable asset to the NFL team that drafts him in 2025 and beyond.
Jaylen Wright proved that with the Dolphins this past season. He was third in rushing as a rookie on a team filled with backs. Wright finished the year with 249 rushing yards but dropped in production in the second half of the season