Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson is a Low-Risk, High-Reward RB | Steelers Draft Profile
INDIANAPOLIS — One of the major concerns that NFL teams have about highly drafting running backs is their propensity to get injured and the speed in which those players lose production later in their careers.
For that reason, running backs with a heavy workload by the time they get to the NFL are seen as a greater risk than those with equal talent that are lesser-used.
If Tennessee Volunteers running back Dylan Sampson was a used car on a lot, right next to the wacky inflatable arms guys, there’d be a big sign on the hood: “LOW MILES.”
Sampson is one of the youngest members of the 2025 NFL Draft class. At 20 years old, he’ll play his first NFL game before he can have his first U.S.-legal alcoholic drink.
Sampson only had one season as a full-time starter at Tennessee, but his lack of heavy usage goes way beyond that — and he almost didn’t end up at the cusp of the NFL at all.
“Well, to be honest, I only played one year of community football,” Sampson said at the 2025 NFL Combine. “I was in the third grade, and I didn’t play again until the seventh grade. The crazy thing is, I was going to quit football for a minute after my grandfather died.
“That was a big moment in my life. Kind of found myself being lost in that moment. A lot of things going on, Great Flood of 2016 in Louisiana. Grandfather diagnosed with cancer for the second time … and I kind of lost my way for a minute.
“But, you know, I woke up, and I found the verse Romans 8:28, and it was just speaking to me. You know, family prayed over me, and I felt like this is what I should be doing.”
Geismar, Louisiana is a town of almost 18,000 crammed in between Interstate 10 and the east bank of the Mississippi River. Though it’s a small place, When Sampson decided to commit football, he must have had some impressive mentors.
Dutchtown High School had five people listed on the Notable Alumni section of its Wikipedia page before Sampson. All of the other five are also NFL players: Landon Collins, Lloyd Cushenberry, Eddie Lacy and Eric and Justin Reid.
Once Sampson decided that football was what he wanted to do, he immediately excelled at it.
In ninth grade, two years after coming back to the game, Sampson became the first non-kicker to play varsity football as a freshman at Dutchtown. In his sophomore year, Tennessee was the second school to extend him a scholarship offer. Two years later, he broke Lacy’s all-time rushing record at Dutchtown.
At Tennessee, Sampson had a hard time breaking into the starting lineup. He made 58 carries for 397 yards as a freshman in 2022 and then 106 rushes for 604 yards as a sophomore in 2023. The yards per carry were evident of the talent he possessed, but unlike his explosion onto the scene as a high school freshman, he had to wait his turn in college.
Even before he broke out in his junior year, Sampson became a leader on the Tennessee team. He was a member of the team’s leadership committee as a sophomore.
“He’s very confident in who he is,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said to the UT Daily Beacon in 2023. “He knows what he’s doing. He knows who he is outside of the building. He brings a great energy. He demands things of the guys around him. He’s willing to act. That’s the first step of leadership. He has a great football future and great leadership traits inside of our building.”
The transfer portal, omnipresent in college football circles, beckoned for a young player who hadn’t gotten much of a chance in his first two seasons, but after Jaylen Wright was selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, the way forward was clear for Sampson to make an impact at Tennessee.
“You know, a lot of people thought we should’ve went out and got another bag, but this was the moment I’ve been waiting for my whole time in Tennessee,” Sampson said. “You know, I kind of sat behind and rotated for a long time, and I knew the opportunity I had this year. So, I was just eager to show people that every time I touch the field, I could be that guy.”
He sure did that. Sampson broke out in 2024, rushing 258 times for 1,491 yards and 22 touchdowns, leading the SEC in all three categories. He was the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and an All-American before declaring for the draft, ready to take the next level of football by storm.
“Teams can expect to get a hard-working player who won’t have any issues off the field, who will come in the locker room and learn, you know, try to grow and become a leader,” Sampson said.”And whatever they need me to do, you know, I’m a playmaker, and that’s what I’ll be. I take a lot of pride in it, because a lot of people didn’t think I could do it.”
HOW DOES DYLAN SAMPSON FIT WITH THE STEELERS?
After losing their longtime, dependable tailback Najee Harris to the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, the Steelers brass are left searching for help out of the backfield. With a strong running back draft class on the horizon, there will be plenty of flavors for them choose from in April, and Sampson has clearly caught their eye.
The Steelers hosted the talented runner on a pre-draft visit to UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on Tuesday. These are always worth monitoring when trying to read between the lines on which prospects pique their interest the most. For example, five of their draft picks last season (Troy Fautanu, Zach Frazier, Payton Wilson, Mason McCormick and Logan Lee) all took visits during the process. Beanie Bishop was among the local visits that took place and promptly signed a deal with the squad after going undrafted. Could Sampson be next in line to make his way to the Steel City?
Despite being diminutive in stature, standing 5-foot-8, 200 pounds, he’s an effective threat in between the tackles. He runs with great tempo, waits patiently for his pullers to lead the way for him and understands how to set up second/third level defenders. Sampson is decisive when a lane begins to pry open and his frame allows him to get skinny to sliver through the tiniest of creases in high-traffic areas. Unlike many smaller backs, he’s actually not unnecessarily bounce-happy but can definitely make splash plays happen on the perimeter when he needs to. He’s able to accelerate to his top gear very quickly and possesses the burst to erase potential tackling angles and create explosive plays on his own accord.
The youngster runs with a natural low-center of gravity and displays solid contact balance with the ability to spin off tacklers while keeping himself upright. He can make quick jump cuts, either behind the line of scrimmage or in the open field, without losing steam. Some guys just have a nose for the end and Sampson’s instincts place him in this category. Despite not having an overwhelming amount of power behind his pads, he’ll drive his feet on contact in an effort to fall forward. Tennessee’s offense trusted him in pass protection and he never backed down to altercations versus bigger bodies.
Sampson needs further development in the passing game. He was basically an afterthought as a receiver, mostly utilized as a check down option and there were a couple reps where he looked unnatural catching the rock. As a pass protector, there were impressive reps of him sorting through potential blitz threats but it needs to be more consistent and technical refinement is needed in his approach to blocks. Ball security was a big issue for him, as he lost 4 fumbles last year. He feasted on light boxes due to a funky offensive system and it’s worth recognizing that he won’t be afforded that same luxury in the NFL. He was primarily a gap-scheme, inside zone runner in college and his lack of experience in outside/mid-zone concepts could make for a bumpy initial transition to Arthur Smith’s scheme.
Even after bringing back Jaylen Warren and inking Kenneth Gainwell to a one-year deal, the Steelers will assuredly look to add another back to the equation on draft weekend. Given the combination of raw talent and depth of this class, they’d be wise to do so. Sampson’s size likely limits his upside as a potential starter but his pacing, balance and short-area burst make an appealing addition. After combing through his evaluation, he finished with a third round grade and could very well be under consideration when Pittsburgh is on the clock at pick 83.
Sampson’s build and track background will leave folks typecasting him into the speed-back archetype but the film shows a more well-versed player than that label suggests. He’s one of the youngest players in the class with very little tread on his tires and could give an NFL offense early down touches tomorrow. His ceiling primarily depends on his development for third down deployment, both as a receiver and pass protector. Sampson projects as a solid complimentary back at the next level.
— Derrick Bell
DYLAN SAMPSON COLLEGE STATS
| Year – Tear | GP | Att | Yds | Y/A | TD | Rec | Yds | Y/C | TD |
| 2024 – Tennessee | 10 | 58 | 397 | 6.8 | 6 | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 0 |
| 2023 – Tennessee | 12 | 106 | 604 | 5.7 | 7 | 17 | 175 | 10.3 | 1 |
| 2022 – Tennessee | 13 | 258 | 1491 | 5.8 | 22 | 20 | 143 | 7.2 | 0 |
TALE OF THE TAPE
Tested at Tennessee Pro Day: 4.46 to 4.49-second 40-yard dash per 247.
Tested at the NFL Combine: 35-inch vertical, 10-foot-4 broad, 13 bench press reps
Measured at the NFL Combine: 5-foot-8 1/3, 200 pounds, 30 1/2-inch arms, 8 3/4-inch hands
Listed by Tennessee: 5-foot-11, 201 pounds
WHERE WILL BE DYLAN SAMPSON BE DRAFTED?
Dylan Sampson has routinely been mocked in between the third and fourth round. He’s currently No. 87 on the NFL Mock Draft Database, just after the Steelers’ third-round pick at No. 83.
